Chapter 14
The Summers End
Sam and the Gaffer were busy planting the Chestnut trees on the side of the road from their home. Sam saw the Shirriff coming down the road with Ted Sandyman and Lotho Sackville-Baggins in tow. Sam watched them carefully as they slowly approached them.
"Good morning to you, Gamgee's," commented the Shirriff. "I have brought you some workers this morning to help you clear the rocks from the fields. Paladin Took, the Thain, has ordered that these boys make up for all the mischief that they have caused. Then seeing how the both of you needed a hand he volunteered them. I am here to see to it that they do. Where is the wheel barrow to remove the rocks?"
Sam pointed to the clearing as he watched the Shirriff escorting the wayward boys to their work. Sam chuckled to himself watching the two hobbits struggle to lift and carry the rocks to the wheelbarrow.
"Now that is what I call fairness to an end. Paladin is as wish as any can be," commented the Gaffer as he too chuckled watching the hobbits work.
They labored all day long until not a stone was left in the clearing and Sam was surprised at being farther along than he anticipated. The new garden of Bagshot Row was now ready for planting.
Sam took out the new seed potatoes that Mr. Cotton had given him and Sam prepared them for planting. Sam hoped as he planted the tatters that the weather would cooperate and give them a good crop.
Now all there was to be done was the waiting for the tatters to grow.
Sam thanked the shirriff and the two hobbits for clearing the fields. He had hoped that the days work might encourage the lads to think twice before getting back into mischief, but Sam also knew that it might not.
~*~
Time marched on as it does in the shire with little change, if any. The tatters did grow as the summer came to a close and fall was upon them. The changing of the leaves began to show in full color in Bagshot Row and it only made the landscape more beautiful.
By the time Sam harvested all the tatters from the field and then bagged them all. He loaded them into the wagon as much as it would hold. He began dropping off bags full of tatters to the occupants of Bagshot Row.
For the first time in many years the poorest of the hobbits had more tatters to eat than would last them an entire fall and winter months. They thanked Sam and called him their hero. They also referred to him as a gardener. "Sam the Gardener has filled our bellies and we'll not know hunger an entire seasons to come!" they shouted their admiration so others would hear.
This astounded Sam, hearing them calling him this. He never thought himself a good enough gardener to be compared to the Gaffer. Sam was proud of himself. However, he was still not done with Bagshot Row. He wanted the poor to have something they could be proud of. Sam had more tatters than they needed so he sold them in Hobbiton to the market owners. He took those coins and purchased some paint.
Whenever the poorest of the hobbits would leave their holes, Sam would sneak over and paint their doors a beautiful green color to surprise them. He would mend their doors the best that he could so they were solid and kept the wind out. He greased the hinges so they would not squeak.
He hid behind the bushes and watched how surprised they were upon seeing their front doors looking as nice as any hobbits could possibly. Sam was proud of the work he accomplished for Bagshot Row. The Gaffer was proud of his Sam.
The Gaffer from time to time would walk over to Bell's grave and visit with her. He would bring his pipe and fill it full of 'Old Toby'. Lighting his pipe he took a big draw from it and blew the blue smoke from his mouth as it clouded around him.
"Bell, our Sam has done it. All that I had promised you Bell, Sam has made come true. I have spent the time persnickety and fretful trying to put enough food on the table and finding more than enough work than I needed too. I lost sight of our dreams, Bell. If only you were still here to sit beside me and enjoy this day. In my heart you are still with me and always will be," The Gaffer said to gravestone with Bell's name on it.
After he finished his pipe and talked with Bell from his heart of all the things he needed, the Gaffer stood up and called to Halfred to get the wagon prepared. This morning they were going to the North Farthing to see his daughters.
"You coming, Sam?" asked the Gaffer.
"Yes, I'll be right there!" Sam shouted as he ran towards the wagon. He looked so forward to seeing his sisters again.
Halfred snapped the reins and they pulled away heading north out of Bagshot Row.
~*~
The Gaffer talked with Halfred about his coming of age next year and the plans he was making for himself. Halfred did not mention a word about Rosie nor wanting to ask her to marry him. Halfred only talked some possibilities that he could do for work and Sam listened intently in case he would mention her name.
"I'm not the gardener that you are Gaffer nor Sam here. There is not much around Hobbiton to make a life for myself. I am not interested in the roping as Hamson is. I just do not know what there is for me there," Halfred said as he raised a worried brow to his father.
"I want more for you Halfred, then ending up in Bagshot Row. Maybe travel a time in the Shire and discover what you really want," the Gaffer said.
"I'll see Gaffer, I really do not know where my road will take me," Halfred told him.
They traveled long into the day and the sun was beginning to set when the wagon pulled in at Aunt May's little hobbit home. There was more than enough room for the girls as they shared a bedroom with each other, while May and her husband had their room. May never conceive her own children so she adored those of her sister's children. Having Daisy and May live with her for the entire summer was a blessing to her. She treasured each moment with them. She treated them like they were her own children, loving them.
She made them all new dressing with ribbons for their hair to match. May introduce them to some of the prominent hobbits of the North Farthing such as the Long Cleeves. They had three girls; Emerald, Opal and Diamond. The girls were as close as they could be.
When the summer ended both Daisy and May wanted to cry. They did not want to leave the North Farthing and go home to Bagshot Row. Their mother was no longer there and being with the Gaffer and their brothers would meant more work and more hardship. With May their lives seems almost perfect and they we so happy being with her.
May rush to greet the Gaffer and she was so pleased to see Sam and Halfred with him. She greeted them with open arms.
May invited her closest friends for a farewell party for the girls. She invited the Long Cleeves to join them. The Gaffer shook their hands as he greeted them. Halfred almost froze where he stood as Opal Long Cleeve was called to meet him. She was the loveliest girl he had ever seen. Her long black silk curls flowing about her shoulders as they bounced when she turned to greet him. She wore a long red velvety dress with a white crisp apron. Her smile only brightened the sparkles in her blue eyes all the more. Any thought of Rosie was soon forgotten.
Sam's eyes smoldered at Halfred as he flirted openly with Opal. 'How could he forget the most beautiful girl in the entire Shire? If my poor Rosie cries one tear over this, I'll knock Halfred back a few paces,' Sam said to himself. The thought of Rosie crying, only made Sam the madder and whitens his knuckles on his hands as he made a fist.
All through the evening meal Halfred talked with Opal's father since he was the mayor of his township. He was interested in everything he had to say. When Halfred told him that he was coming of age next year. He was looking for a job to support himself. Opal's father offered Halfred a good job working for him and before the meal ended, with the Gaffer's permission, Halfred excepted the position.
The guests were invited outside as the fiddler's stuck up their bows. Halfred asked Opal to dance with him as the Gaffer watched. The Gaffer saw his girls dancing with prospective young male hobbits and an idea came to his mind. The Gaffer dabbed a fallen tear from the corner of his eye as he looked for Aunt May to have a word with her.
The Summers End
Sam and the Gaffer were busy planting the Chestnut trees on the side of the road from their home. Sam saw the Shirriff coming down the road with Ted Sandyman and Lotho Sackville-Baggins in tow. Sam watched them carefully as they slowly approached them.
"Good morning to you, Gamgee's," commented the Shirriff. "I have brought you some workers this morning to help you clear the rocks from the fields. Paladin Took, the Thain, has ordered that these boys make up for all the mischief that they have caused. Then seeing how the both of you needed a hand he volunteered them. I am here to see to it that they do. Where is the wheel barrow to remove the rocks?"
Sam pointed to the clearing as he watched the Shirriff escorting the wayward boys to their work. Sam chuckled to himself watching the two hobbits struggle to lift and carry the rocks to the wheelbarrow.
"Now that is what I call fairness to an end. Paladin is as wish as any can be," commented the Gaffer as he too chuckled watching the hobbits work.
They labored all day long until not a stone was left in the clearing and Sam was surprised at being farther along than he anticipated. The new garden of Bagshot Row was now ready for planting.
Sam took out the new seed potatoes that Mr. Cotton had given him and Sam prepared them for planting. Sam hoped as he planted the tatters that the weather would cooperate and give them a good crop.
Now all there was to be done was the waiting for the tatters to grow.
Sam thanked the shirriff and the two hobbits for clearing the fields. He had hoped that the days work might encourage the lads to think twice before getting back into mischief, but Sam also knew that it might not.
~*~
Time marched on as it does in the shire with little change, if any. The tatters did grow as the summer came to a close and fall was upon them. The changing of the leaves began to show in full color in Bagshot Row and it only made the landscape more beautiful.
By the time Sam harvested all the tatters from the field and then bagged them all. He loaded them into the wagon as much as it would hold. He began dropping off bags full of tatters to the occupants of Bagshot Row.
For the first time in many years the poorest of the hobbits had more tatters to eat than would last them an entire fall and winter months. They thanked Sam and called him their hero. They also referred to him as a gardener. "Sam the Gardener has filled our bellies and we'll not know hunger an entire seasons to come!" they shouted their admiration so others would hear.
This astounded Sam, hearing them calling him this. He never thought himself a good enough gardener to be compared to the Gaffer. Sam was proud of himself. However, he was still not done with Bagshot Row. He wanted the poor to have something they could be proud of. Sam had more tatters than they needed so he sold them in Hobbiton to the market owners. He took those coins and purchased some paint.
Whenever the poorest of the hobbits would leave their holes, Sam would sneak over and paint their doors a beautiful green color to surprise them. He would mend their doors the best that he could so they were solid and kept the wind out. He greased the hinges so they would not squeak.
He hid behind the bushes and watched how surprised they were upon seeing their front doors looking as nice as any hobbits could possibly. Sam was proud of the work he accomplished for Bagshot Row. The Gaffer was proud of his Sam.
The Gaffer from time to time would walk over to Bell's grave and visit with her. He would bring his pipe and fill it full of 'Old Toby'. Lighting his pipe he took a big draw from it and blew the blue smoke from his mouth as it clouded around him.
"Bell, our Sam has done it. All that I had promised you Bell, Sam has made come true. I have spent the time persnickety and fretful trying to put enough food on the table and finding more than enough work than I needed too. I lost sight of our dreams, Bell. If only you were still here to sit beside me and enjoy this day. In my heart you are still with me and always will be," The Gaffer said to gravestone with Bell's name on it.
After he finished his pipe and talked with Bell from his heart of all the things he needed, the Gaffer stood up and called to Halfred to get the wagon prepared. This morning they were going to the North Farthing to see his daughters.
"You coming, Sam?" asked the Gaffer.
"Yes, I'll be right there!" Sam shouted as he ran towards the wagon. He looked so forward to seeing his sisters again.
Halfred snapped the reins and they pulled away heading north out of Bagshot Row.
~*~
The Gaffer talked with Halfred about his coming of age next year and the plans he was making for himself. Halfred did not mention a word about Rosie nor wanting to ask her to marry him. Halfred only talked some possibilities that he could do for work and Sam listened intently in case he would mention her name.
"I'm not the gardener that you are Gaffer nor Sam here. There is not much around Hobbiton to make a life for myself. I am not interested in the roping as Hamson is. I just do not know what there is for me there," Halfred said as he raised a worried brow to his father.
"I want more for you Halfred, then ending up in Bagshot Row. Maybe travel a time in the Shire and discover what you really want," the Gaffer said.
"I'll see Gaffer, I really do not know where my road will take me," Halfred told him.
They traveled long into the day and the sun was beginning to set when the wagon pulled in at Aunt May's little hobbit home. There was more than enough room for the girls as they shared a bedroom with each other, while May and her husband had their room. May never conceive her own children so she adored those of her sister's children. Having Daisy and May live with her for the entire summer was a blessing to her. She treasured each moment with them. She treated them like they were her own children, loving them.
She made them all new dressing with ribbons for their hair to match. May introduce them to some of the prominent hobbits of the North Farthing such as the Long Cleeves. They had three girls; Emerald, Opal and Diamond. The girls were as close as they could be.
When the summer ended both Daisy and May wanted to cry. They did not want to leave the North Farthing and go home to Bagshot Row. Their mother was no longer there and being with the Gaffer and their brothers would meant more work and more hardship. With May their lives seems almost perfect and they we so happy being with her.
May rush to greet the Gaffer and she was so pleased to see Sam and Halfred with him. She greeted them with open arms.
May invited her closest friends for a farewell party for the girls. She invited the Long Cleeves to join them. The Gaffer shook their hands as he greeted them. Halfred almost froze where he stood as Opal Long Cleeve was called to meet him. She was the loveliest girl he had ever seen. Her long black silk curls flowing about her shoulders as they bounced when she turned to greet him. She wore a long red velvety dress with a white crisp apron. Her smile only brightened the sparkles in her blue eyes all the more. Any thought of Rosie was soon forgotten.
Sam's eyes smoldered at Halfred as he flirted openly with Opal. 'How could he forget the most beautiful girl in the entire Shire? If my poor Rosie cries one tear over this, I'll knock Halfred back a few paces,' Sam said to himself. The thought of Rosie crying, only made Sam the madder and whitens his knuckles on his hands as he made a fist.
All through the evening meal Halfred talked with Opal's father since he was the mayor of his township. He was interested in everything he had to say. When Halfred told him that he was coming of age next year. He was looking for a job to support himself. Opal's father offered Halfred a good job working for him and before the meal ended, with the Gaffer's permission, Halfred excepted the position.
The guests were invited outside as the fiddler's stuck up their bows. Halfred asked Opal to dance with him as the Gaffer watched. The Gaffer saw his girls dancing with prospective young male hobbits and an idea came to his mind. The Gaffer dabbed a fallen tear from the corner of his eye as he looked for Aunt May to have a word with her.