Zady and I walked back to the Spencers after school, while the younger children ran on ahead of us. When we arrived at the cabin Mrs. Spencer greeted us.
I got down to business right away. "Mrs. Spencer, I appreciate your hospitality in letting me stay here, but I can't stay here forever."
"Crystal, it ain't no trouble a'tall. But first we need to get something straight. Seein' as how I'm your kin, ya should call me 'Aunt Fairlight' and my husband 'Uncle Jed'."
"Okay." I agreed.
"And gettin' back to the subject at hand, Jeb and I think it'd be best ya stay here for now. I reckon ya could visit your Allen kin for a while. Or stay at the mission, but I don't know iffen Miz Alice would take to that."
I was rather glad I would be staying with the Spencers, because Mrs. Spencer... I mean Aunt Fairlight was very nice, and Zady was a great cousin-- I was sure we could become fast friends. I'd never had a friend before-- Ma and I had lived together and didn't associate with many people. The other children at my old school had left me alone.
I knew I didn't want to live at the mission. That was where the Quaker lady lived, and I wanted to avoid her as much as possible. Although, it would be fun to live in the same house as Miss Christy.
Zady interrupted my thoughts. "I'm goin' ta visit Ruby Mae-- do ya want to come?"
"Zady honey, before ya leave, ya need to holp get supper on. Thar's some taters over in the corner, and some venison your pa brought home. Chop them up for a stew."
"Yes, momma." Zady replied, and started for the potatoes. I blinked in surprise. Ma had never ordered me around, I had just known what needed to be done and done it. I wasn't used to others telling me what to do.
I stood awkwardly, not knowing whether to offer my help, wait until Aunt Fairlight gave me a job to do, or run off. Aunt Fairlight must've noticed my predicament because she said "Crystal, ya can make the cornbread. Zady'll holp ya iffen' ya need it."
By the time Zady and I finished cooking we had about an hour left until dinner, or 'supper' as the Spencers called it.
"Where does Ruby Mae live?" I asked as we started down the path.
"At the mission. She's lived thar since her pappy and mammy left. She holps with chorin' and the like."
I was so surprised I almost stopped stock still on the path. I hadn't known we were going to the mission. I wondered if we would meet the Quaker lady.
As we approached the mission I searched hastily for a figure in dark clothes but saw none. That was one of the three things I knew about Quakers: they also spoke with 'thees and thous' and were bad!
Before we had even crossed the yard Ruby Mae bounded out of the house. "Howdy Zady, Howdy Crystal. Come on inside. I just finished makin' the bread. Miss Ida's tryin' to teach me how to bake bread, but it ain't goin' good. Lordy, I don't think I'll ever learn."
At this I spoke up. "Ruby Mae, that's taking the Lord's name in vain! Didn't your ma ever tell you that?"
Ruby Mae shrugged. "Naw, I ain't seen her since I was thirteen or so. She left to nurse her sick granny 'bout two years back. 'Sides, I say it all the time, and the preacher ain't said nuthin' about it."
Ruby Mae sure liked to talk! I'd never met anyone who talked as much as she did. I got tired just listening to her!
"So when your ma was gone did you do all the work around the house?" I asked.
"For a while, 'til Miz Christy got here and I came to live with her. She talked Miz Henderson inta lettin' me stay. I holp out a lot, like with the cookin' and sich. My pappy's gone most of the time huntin', so I ain't seed him much neither."
We went into the mission house and upstairs, to Ruby Mae's bedroom. "I have my own bedroom." Ruby Mae said. "When I came Miz Christy gave it to me. Miz Alice wanted me and Miz Christy to share a room, seein' as how it was Miz Christy's idee to have me stay, but Miz Christy thought I was old enough to have some privacy. It's the first time in my whole life I ain't slept in a room with someone else. Our cabin back on the mountain only had one room."
As Ruby Mae talked I looked around the room. It held twin beds, a dresser, and a small table with a chair by it. A braided rug lay on the floor between the beds. There were several hooks on the wall, with clothes hung on them. Plain white curtains hung at the two windows. "Miz Christy helped me make the curtains." Ruby Mae explained, seeing my gaze. "I ain't no good with a needle, but Miz Christy and Miz Ida say I need to learn thet stuff fer when I'm a momma someday."
Zady and Ruby Mae were soon giggling together, and I slipped out of the room unnoticed. I was curious to explore the rest of the spacious, open house. There were three other doors upstairs, and all of them were open. I peeked in the first two-- one had a pile of books on the desk-- that must be Miss Christy's. The other was neat and had absolutely nothing laying about.
I then looked in the last bedroom. The first object that caught my eye was a pair of saddlebags lying on the dresser. Saddlebags? Who keeps saddlebags in their room? At that moment I felt someone tap my shoulder.
"Zady?" I said as I turned around, but it was the Quaker Lady standing there. Will she chop my head off for spying? I though wildly.
"Didn't anyone ever tell you not to pry?" she asked with a smile.
I backed up and almost tripped over my feet. "Uh... no." I stuttered, frozen.
Ruby Mae and Zady came flying out of the bedroom. "Come on, time to go." Zady said as she grabbed my hand. "Oh, howdy Miz Henderson."
Whew. At least Zady had saved me. I had been so alarmed that I couldn't even move. I gladly followed her home.