A/N: Hope you all had a great holiday season! My apologies for the delay in getting this chapter out. I had hoped to publish it about a month ago, but after one of my cats, Topaz, passed away at the end of November, I had no motivation to write. I think I'm finally out of my writing rut and I hope this chapter was worth the wait.
Cecily looked out the kitchen window as she heard a wagon pull into the yard. She noted that it was only her husband returning home and turned her attention back to the dirty breakfast dishes sitting in the sink. Several minutes later she heard the front door open as he returned to the house.
Adam passed Helen and Clara playing in the main room with their dolls before joining his wife in the kitchen giving her a soft kiss on the neck.
She turned around, returning the kiss. "Did Nathan make it to school without any problems?"
"Yes, my love. Everything went according to plan. Speaking of plans, what do you have planned for today?"
"Well, I have some chores around here. Then I have to make a trip into town this afternoon to pick up some baby supplies. I plan to take the girls with me and then we can pick Nathan up after school for you."
"Perfect. I do hope you will spend some time resting as well. You shouldn't be pushing yourself in your condition." Adam's hand moved to gently rest on Cecily's belly.
"I'll be fine, Adam. I've done this twice before. Any big plans on your schedule for today?"
"My father requested my assistance at his place for a few hours this morning. Something about an ornery cow. Then I'll spend most of the afternoon in the barn working on a special surprise for you."
"Oh, a surprise? Please tell me! You know how I can't wait for surprises." Cecily's eyes lit up like a child on Christmas morning.
Adam fixed his wife with a playful glare. "Not a chance. You better not go peeking in the barn while I'm gone either."
"We'll see." She returned his glare with her own playful smirk before turning her attention back to the sink.
It was finally afternoon and Cecily had just pulled the wagon up in front of the mercantile. She made sure the brake was in place before making her way to the ground. She then helped her two little helpers, Helen and Clara, down who each had their dolls in their hands.
Helen asked before they left if they could bring their dolls with them. They wanted to start putting Nathan's suggestions to practice and thought shopping in town would be a perfect place to start. Under normal circumstances, toys weren't allowed to be brought on town outings. Too many were lost in the past and the tears that followed after the child realized it was missing was something that could be avoided by leaving the items at home altogether. However, this time Cecily had several things to pick up before the new baby arrived. Having the girls bring their dolls would occupy their time and keep them distracted while she shopped.
Hand-in-hand-in-hand, they walked down the boardwalk a few steps before stepping inside the store.
"Good morning, Mr. Bell."
"Ah…good morning Mrs. Cartwright. What can I help you with today?"
"I'm here to stock up on some baby supplies." She gestured towards her ever-growing belly. "It's about time for this little one to meet everyone and I want to make sure we have everything we need."
"Sure, sure. If you follow me, I'll take you over to the baby section."
Cecily turned to the twins who were standing behind her having a quiet conversation with their dolls. "Girls. I'm going to head towards the back of the store with Mr. Bell. Why don't you two go check out the books? You can pick one out for us to read to the new baby and one you think you both might like. If I'm not done by then, you may check out the penny candy."
"Thanks, Mama!"
After watching them scamper off, she turned to follow Mr. Bell.
A half-hour later, Cecily had chosen a couple new pre-sewn baby outfits and was in the process of looking at the different feeding options for infants. She knew she needed some new bottles as well as some little utensils for when the baby got a little older, but there were so many different options to choose from making the decision process extremely difficult.
It was then that she heard a squabble coming from the side of the store. She instantly recognized the voices as her own girls. Sighing, she headed over to where the voices were coming.
As she approached, she noticed each girl kneeling on the floor with their dolls on the floor between them. Each girl had a hand on a large picture book, trying to pull it out of the other's hand.
Clara pulled the book towards herself. "This is MY choice. Find your own."
"Mama said to pick one out together." Helen responded by yanking the book back in her direction.
Cecily had finally reached the girls and leaned down to put an end to this argument before it got much worse. "Girls, everyone in this store can hear your little argument. You were told earlier today to behave while Mama shopped."
"But she started it!"
"Nu-uh."
"I don't care who started it. I have a little more shopping to do, then we have to pick up your brother before we head home. Please behave for a little while more." She gave them each a pointed look, then turned to head back to the baby section.
Twenty minutes later, everything she needed was piled on the front counter. Included in the pile was a nice picture book for the new baby, the book Alice Through The Looking Glass for the girls that Adam or herself could read to them before bed, as well as a small penny bag of candy for the girls to share with their brother.
After paying for the items, she made sure the girls had their dolls and after loading up the wagon headed to the schoolhouse to pick up Nathan before making their way back home.
Adam was busy working in the barn on Cecily's surprise, a new cradle for the baby. He looked up as he heard the wagon pull up outside, pausing his work on the project. He heard his children laughing and figured Cecily had returned from town. He also figured he had about 45 minutes left to work on the cradle before he had to wash up and start helping with supper.
Upon returning home, Cecily sent the children into the house. Nathan went up to his room to start on his homework while the girls stayed in the main room to play with their dolls. Cecily meanwhile had some pies she needed to make before supper and was grateful to have all the children busy with other activities so they weren't underfoot.
The twins wanted to continue practicing with their dolls as Nathan suggested. Everything went smoothly for about a half-hour, then chaos erupted.
"You know I'm going to be the best at taking care of the baby." Clara adamantly declared while glancing up at her sister sitting next to her on the floor.
Helen briefly looked up to her sister as she dropped her doll down on the wooden floor after pretending to feed it some carrots. "Are not. I'm just as good as you."
"Nu-uh. You're being too rough with your doll. Mama is never going to let you help."
"That's not true. If anyone is too rough, it's you."
"Am NOT! You're just dumb. You don't know anything!"
"I do too know things! I'm much better at taking care of my doll than you."
"Liar! You'll be lucky if Mama or Papa even let you hold the baby." Clara had now moved from her sitting position to a standing position.
"You're so mean!" Helen followed Clara's lead and also stood, hoping she could get her point across better if she was standing.
"You think I'm mean? I'll show you mean!" Clara reached over and grabbed Helen's doll. She then proceeded to twist off its head and throw it across the room. "Take that. When Mama sees what happened to your doll, she won't let you even come near the baby."
That was the end of the rope for Helen. She launched herself onto her sister, pushing her to the ground. Before they knew it, they were trying to hit each other as only little children could all while rolling around on the floor.
It was only a few minutes before they felt their mother's grasp on each of their arms pulling them off the ground and away from each other.
"That's enough! What has gotten into you two today?" When she didn't get a response, she sent them both to opposite corners in the main room, warning them that she will be fetching their father in a few minutes.
Almost on cue, Adam happened to return from working out in the barn. He took in the scene of not one, but both of his little girls standing in separate corners. Laying on the floor was a doll discarded. Another headless doll lay nearby. A quick scan of the room indicated the head was on the floor, but over by the bookshelf on the other side of the room.
Cecily was in the kitchen making what smelled like cherry pies to him and decided to consult with her about what had transpired in the main room.
"Cecily, dear. Would you mind filling me into what happened out there? It looks like a mini battleground."
She turned at the sound of her name before setting the large spoon down that she was using to mix the pie filling.
"Oh, Adam. They've been in one of those moods all day."
She then went on to tell him all that happened in town and what she thought occurred only minutes before. "I immediately sent them both into a corner. I was going to let them stand there a few minutes while I finished getting the pie filling ready before I went and got you."
Adam's anger and disappointment grew in his daughter's behavior as his wife unveiled the story to him. He always thought of the twins as being the babies and not capable of getting into too much trouble. As much as he wanted to keep them that way, they were far from it. His four-and-a-half-year-old daughters were old enough to know how to properly play with others and how to treat their toys and that did not include shouting at each other nor destroying their toys.
"Thank you, Cecily. I'll take it from here." Adam walked back into the main room, ready to take control of what just happened.
"Helen Rose, Clara Ann. Turn around, please." Adam waited for them to both slowly turn away from the corner and face him.
Clara had her hands folded over her chest and had quite the scowl on her face. Helen, on the other hand, looked nervous and apologetic. "Your mother has told me some of what happened. I still have a few questions for you, but we will continue this conversation upstairs." He nodded to the stairs. "Go on. I'll be up in a few minutes and I better find you both continuing your corner time up there."
Both girls quickly headed for the stairs before starting up them. Helen quietly hurried up the stairs. Clara's ascent was a little more forceful, stomping halfway up the stairs before she was stopped short by Adam's voice.
"Clara! I'd stop stomping up those stairs if I were you. Unless, of course, you'd like a taste of what's to come in a few minutes."
Clara hesitated, debating whether to continue to let her frustrations out on the stairs or to not make matters worse for herself. She chose the wiser route and continued up the rest of the stairs quietly.
Back downstairs, Adam turned from where he was still staring at the stairs as his name was gently called. "Adam."
"Hmm."
"Please don't be too hard on the girls."
"Sweetheart, they are almost five-years-old. They are old enough to know right from wrong and how to play nicely. What they did this afternoon, wasn't playing nicely."
"I know, but this has been a difficult time for them knowing they're going to have a new brother or sister soon and knowing they won't be the babies in the house anymore."
"I understand and know how they're feeling; I had to go through it twice. But I also know what they did today was unacceptable."
Cecily only offered a pleading look to her husband.
"I have some more questions for them and want to find out exactly what happened down here today before I make any final decisions on punishment. I promise I won't be too hard on them. They'll live to see another day and get into mischief again."
"Thank you. That is all I ask."
Adam ascended the stairs and headed down the hall to the girl's room. As he reached their room and looked in, he wasn't the least bit surprised to find Helen in one of the corners following his instructions and Clara sitting on the bed with her back to the door, not in a corner as she was instructed.
"Clara! I believe I told you to find a corner, not to sit on your bed."
Clara's back stiffened as her father called her name but didn't move from her spot on the bed. As she heard Adam's determined steps coming closer, though, she quickly bounded off the bed and into the corner closest to her.
Adam sighed as he took a seat on the edge of their bed. He let them stand there a few minutes while taking a few calming breaths before calling them over to him.
"So, I'd like to know what happened down there." When he was met with silence, Adam prompted Helen to start the explanation.
"Well, we were playing with our dolls. Nate told us to play as if they were a real baby, so we'd be ready when it came."
Adam made a mental note to let Nathan know later how proud he was that he came up with such a good suggestion. "I see. The main room looks like you had quite the argument while you were playing."
"Yeah. We were playing nicely at first. It was all Clara's fault. She started saying mean things to me."
"I DID NOT!"
At that outburst, Adam reached out and gently grabbed Clara's arm, turning her slightly to the side and landing a stinging swat on her bottom. "We do not shout at each other! We are going to talk nicely to each other without yelling or interrupting. If you are unable to do that, you can spend a few more minutes in that corner."
Clara wanted to put up a firm front, but after one glance at her father, she wilted under his stern gaze and agreed not to have any more outbursts.
"Thank you. Now, I happen to believe your sister. Your mother said she heard you specifically start an argument. However, she also said she heard both of you yelling back and forth at each other for several minutes."
Both girls hung their heads, knowing they were both to blame for this little incident.
"Now, Clara. I'd like to know exactly what you were arguing about and what mean things you said to Helen."
Clara might have agreed not to have any more outbursts, but it didn't mean she was happy or sorry for what she said or did. She was determined not to have her father know all of what happened.
Adam waited for several long seconds, before addressing her. "I'm waiting." He was only met with the best glare an almost five-year-old could produce. "You're skating on very thin ice, young lady. If I were you, I would answer my questions before you find yourself in more trouble."
"I only said I would be better at taking care of the new baby. I might've said Helen was dumb and didn't know how to take care of one. I said Mama would be asking me all the time and not her." Clara quickly returned her eyes to the floor, a bit ashamed of what she actually said to her sister. It seemed much worse now than when she first said it downstairs.
"I see. And Helen, when Clara said that, you shouted at your sister."
"Yeah. I tried to tell her nicely that I am good at taking care of babies, but she kept saying those things over and over. I guess I yelled because she was yelling."
"You both know that yelling at each other is wrong, correct?" Two small nods were given in reply. "Do either of you want to tell me what happened to the one doll that lost her head?"
Silence. Not surprising. Adam never liked to confess what he did when he was a child either. It always made things seem worse when he said them out loud.
"Let me take a guess. Clara, you were upset. You grabbed Helen's doll and twisted the head off then threw it across the room. Helen, you then pushed your sister down because she ruined your doll. Does that sound right?"
Two 'yes Papas' were offered in response.
"It seems you both were in the wrong today. You cannot be yelling, arguing, and fighting with each other. If you have a problem or have concerns about what has been said, you need to come to your mother or me."
"Clara plant yourself in one of the corners. Helen, come with me. We'll finish up in my bedroom." Sure, the girls shared a room, and he had no qualms about completing the lecturing in the same room. It actually saved him from having to repeat himself. However, if it turned out they both needed a spanking, he preferred to do that separately to give them both a little privacy. He knew from experience as a child, it was awful enough knowing you were due for tanning, it was ten times worse if others happened to be around. For that reason, he tried not to punish his children in the company of others, whether that was other family members or out in public.
Arriving in his room, he sat on the bed while pulling Helen close to him. "You know why you're about to be punished, right?"
"Yes, Papa, 'cause I got in a fight with Clara."
"That's right. You know better than to fight with your sister or yell at her."
At Helen's small nod, Adam moved her over to his side before guiding her across his knees. He then proceeded to apply four firm swats to the little bottom which set the girl in a torrent of tears.
After helping her up, Adam held her, offering soothing words of comfort until Helen's cries became mere sobs.
"I-I'm s-sorry."
"I know you are, sweetie. Just remember next time not to let Clara get you all riled up."
"I'll t-try."
"That's a good girl. Why don't you head downstairs and see if your Mama needs any help? I heard she's making some cherry pies and I have a feeling she might need a special helper."
Standing up from the bed, Adam and Helen walked into the hallway together before going their separate ways. He found himself sighing again as he realized punishing Clara likely wouldn't be as simple as it was with Helen.
He returned to the twin's room and found to his surprise, Clara was still in the corner. He settled himself on their bed deciding there was no need to take her to his room with Helen downstairs.
"Clara you can come out the corner now."
Clara turned around but refused to move from her spot.
Adam raised his hand and crooked a finger beckoning her to come over. "Please come here."
"No."
"Clara, get over here now." He firmly pointed to the spot right in front of him.
Clara had no intentions of moving. Instead, she slid down the wall until she sat on the floor with her back against the wall. She simply gave a firm shake of her head.
"You have been pushing your luck recently, young lady. I'll give you to the count of three to stand up and come stand in front of me. If you continue to disobey me, I'll be forced to get your mother's hairbrush.
At that, Clara's eyes got wide. Adam had never used a hairbrush to punish her before, but she had heard her Grandpa threaten to use it on Nathan and even remembered her Pa actually using it on him a couple times. She knew it must hurt worse than a normal spanking because all she remembered were all the tears coming from her brother on those couple of occasions.
"One...Two..." Adam had silently hoped she would obey; however, it was clear she had no intentions of moving. "Three."
"Very well." Adam rose from his spot and headed down the hall to his room to fetch his wife's brush.
When he returned to the room, Clara was standing by the bed, her eyes immediately darting to the brush in Adam's hand.
"I'm ready. Pl-please Papa, you don't have to use that." Her voice started to break as sobs started upon the realization that Adam was serious about what he said a few minutes ago.
"I'm very sorry, but you continued to not listen after I gave you multiple chances to mind me."
"But I'm mi-minding n-now." Tears were now freely streaming down her face.
"I know and thank you for finally listening. Papa gave you several chances to listen a few minutes ago though. I promised I'd use the brush if you didn't obey and you know Papa always keeps his promises."
"I-I kn-know." Big, fat tears continued to roll down her face. Adam couldn't help but feel just a little sorry for her.
"I'll tell you what, if you continue to mind me, I'll only use it for one swat." He had only intended to use it once at the end to begin with, but she didn't know that and if calmed her down a little, that's all that mattered.
"Okay-y."
Adam returned to his position on the bed while moving his daughter in front of him. "Good girl. Now, I first want to know why or what put you in this mood you're in today?"
Adam only received a shrug from Clara.
"Come, now. I know you better than that."
"It's nothing." Clara turned her gaze to the floor.
"I don't buy that. Something is definitely the problem. You might be naughty some days, but you are hardly ever repeatedly naughty like you have been today. Please tell Papa."
There was a long moment of silence before Clara spoke so softly Adam had to strain to hear her. "I'm just scared Helen will actually be a lot better at taking care of the baby. What if I'm a bad big sister?"
Adam reached out and gently used his finger to raise her chin so he could make eye contact with her. "Listen to me, you won't be a bad big sister. Not everyone is perfect, but that's what makes you different from anybody else. Your new sibling will love you no matter what."
"You really think so?"
"Sure I do. Remember Papa has been through this twice when he was a little boy. It's scary every time. When it comes time to help, there might be things you're better at and other things your sister is better at helping with. You just have to remember, you might not be the best at everything and that's alright. Does that make sense?"
"Yeah. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Now, back to the business at hand. Can you tell me why you're about to be punished?"
" 'Cause I argued with Helen and said mean things to her. Umm…and I also fought with her and hurt her toy."
"That's right. Anything else? Did you listen to me when I told you to do something?"
"No."
"No indeed. You didn't listen several times."
"Sorry."
"I appreciate the apology but it doesn't erase the consequences for what already happened. Let's finish this up." He moved her over to his side and pulled her over his lap as he did with Helen.
He administered the same four swats as he did only moments earlier with Helen, then reached over for the brush. As promised, it was brought down only once on her tiny bottom. In all honesty, Adam hardly used any force behind it and in his opinion, he wouldn't have even considered it a swat at all. On the other hand, on top of the four previous swats, it was probably more painful than it normally would have been.
As soon as he was done, he helped settle her on his lap offering words of comfort as she continued to cry into his shoulder. Several minutes passed before she was calm enough and her cries had lessened.
"Papa hated doing that and doesn't want to punish you again. He will though if you can't behave. Try to remember next time to mind me the first time and if you have concerns about your sister, you are to come to Mama or me. Okay?"
"Uh-huh." A yawn escaped as she looked up towards Adam's face.
"Why don't you stay here and take a short nap? I'll be up to get you when supper is ready."
"Okay, Papa."
She was asleep before he even tucked her under the quilt. He made sure the curtains were closed a considerable amount and then quietly left the room.
After supper, Adam returned to the barn to continue working on the cradle for Cecily. He looked up as he heard the barn door open and slowly close. A second later, Nathan stepped into the soft light of the lantern near the back of the barn.
He briefly looked up at his son before returning his focus to the cradle. "Is everything alright?"
"Yeah. Ma is getting the twins all settled for bed."
Adam nodded at the response. He will need to be heading back inside soon to say goodnight to them. Looking back up at his oldest, he could tell there was something more on his mind. "Are you sure everything is alright? You appear troubled."
Nathan moved from his spot at the stall opening to sit on the crate next to his father. "I guess. I just feel bad about what happened with the twins today."
"Ah. They told me it was your idea to practice on the dolls."
Nathan gave a small nod in reply. "I thought it would be good for them to practice so when the real baby comes, they would know a little about taking care of it."
"It was an excellent idea."
"It doesn't seem that way. All it did was get them in trouble."
Adam put down the sandpaper he was using to smooth the wood of the cradle and turned to give his son his undivided attention. "That was not your fault. Your sisters are old enough to own up for their mistakes and know right from wrong." Still seeing the gloomy expression on his son's face, Adam tried to add a little humor to lighten the mood. "Plus, it's better to get these hiccups out of the way now before the baby comes. You would hate to have them try to pull off the real baby's head and throw it like they did this afternoon with the doll."
At that, Nathan gave a little giggle. "You're right, Pa."
"You're a wonderful brother. I'm proud of how grown up you've been acting recently. Taking your younger sisters under your wing is something to be admired. Most boys your age could care less about their little, annoying sisters. They're lucky to have you looking out for them. Thank you for that."
Nathan moved to embrace his father in a hug. "Thanks."
Adam returned the hug before pulling slightly away to address Nathan. "Unfortunately, it's not going to end here, or in a couple years; you're going to helping them the rest of your life. Trust me, I know. Being the oldest, I'm still helping your uncles get out of their own troubles and giving them advice. The new baby, whether it's a girl or a boy, will need your help and guidance just as much as the twins. You are going to have your hands full, I'm afraid."
"That's okay, Pa. I like giving advice and helping them. It kind of comes with the role of being the oldest."
"You're a smart boy. I don't know what I did to deserve you, but I'm glad you're my son. Why don't we call it a night and head back inside? I have to say goodnight to the girls, then we can play a couple games of checkers before you head to bed yourself."
"Sounds great."
Adam made sure the lantern was extinguished before wrapping an arm around his son's shoulders on their way back to the house.