Title: They Will Know Us By Our Kin
Author: Heather-Lass
Summary: The secret's out! Heather O'Toole is the long-lost sister of Ruby Mae! But that was maybe evident, flaming red hair and all. The revaree was fun, and there seems to be something developing between David and Heather. The next chapter is about old history and family and tears will be shed. Nothing about David, Christy or any of the mission folk. This is strictly a Morrison family chapter.
Disclaimer: Yup, all the Christy characters are property of the Marshell/LeSourd (did I get that right?) estate, etc, etc, etc. The naturalist character is of my own creation but with some real life folk singer. Heather Alexander, the coolest lady ever. Maybe you've heard of her…I doubt it unless you like Celtic folk and are from the Northwest USA.
Author's Note: Where did the time go again? And didn't I promise to update. Huh, fine idea THAT turned out to be. This life sucks. Since I can't find anything about Ruby Mae's mother and her family, I'm gonna make it up. The book just says in the character list: "Duggin Morrison, glum mountaineer and his wife. Mrs. Morrison's daughter, Ruby Mae, red-headed girl who lives at the mission house."
Chapter 4: Dusty Memories
Several weeks had flown by fast and the children had started school again after the spring planting. Mornings were devoted to bookwork, memory work and classroom studies. After lunch every sunny day, the entire school would go on walks in the woods learning about the plants and flowers that grew there and every animal they saw. On rainy afternoons they would sit and draw pictures and organize leaves and blossoms they had collected as well as looked through Heather's natural science books to identify them. Each student was working on a collection of drawings and writings about nature that would be sewn with cardboard and string binding. At the end of the school term, each student would have their very own book about what they had done written just by them. The older students, John Spencer, Bessie Coburn, Lizette Holcombe, Rob Allen, and Ruby Mae especially, were taking special care in their books and were very helpful to Christy and Heather in answering questions the younger students were having.
"Heather, I got to thinkin'," Ruby Mae was wondering on the first Friday after the start of school as she and Heather sat on the school steps. "Pa and Ma are goin' to Knoxville to sell some firewood this weekend. Maybe you want to come with me back to the cabin to see how things are."
"Isn't that trespassing?"
"Maybe so, but it's our home too or once was. We should have a right to see it too."
"I suppose you're right. I can't go hiding forever. But you're sure they're going this weekend?"
"Yes, Ma snuck up to the mission on Wednesday to ask me to check on her chickens. Pa didn't know she asked, he's still mad at me. He says the chickens can look after themselves for two days. But Ma's worried a hawk might get one to feed her new chicks. And Pa won't get her a new one ever."
"Alright. Tomorrow after chores?"
"That's probably best."
The next day, Heather and Ruby Mae walked silently along the forest path to the cabin they had both grown up in but no longer called home. Each was absorbed in their own thoughts, thinking about the events of the past, the present and the future. When they got to the cabin, they walked around it looking at the things inside. It wasn't very big so it didn't take them very long. They carefully looked in boxes and trunks for Heather's letters but could not find them. They handled items very gently and put things back in the exact place, making sure not to disturb the dust. When they were done, no one could tell anyone had been there. Once outside, Ruby Mae nudged Heather. "Remember that?" she said softly, looking at an enormous hollow stump. It was rotted in parts and covered with moss, but enough of it remained to remind them of the past.
"Our playhouse! How could I forget?" She stopped, gazed at the tree with an odd look, and walked around it from all sides. "It's smaller than I remember it. A lot smaller."
"Wanna look inside?"
"Of course!" Cautiously, they stepped inside. Though slightly damp, the inside of the tree was faring better than the outside. All the acorn teacups and bark plates were just as they left them. Dried bunches of flowers still hung from jagged peaks of wood on ragged strings.
"It's still here…" Heather's voice trailed off.
"After you…disappeared…I wouldn't come here…it wasn't the same…I just left it all…" Ruby Mae's eyes filled up with tears.
"Oh Ruby, I'm so sorry I ever left. But I'm here now. And I'll never leave you like that again. Not without telling you where I'm going."
"Promise?"
"Promise." The sisters hugged tightly, nearly losing their balance in the small enclosed space.
"Ouch! Huh, what's this?" She knelt down to brush aside a pile of dried ferns to reveal a small metal box. It had an intricate etched pattern of blackened leaves and vines that must had been once vivid against the box metal when it was shiny and new. Now, the metal was old and tarnished with age and the design was not so visible.
"Pa's cashbox!" They said together looking at each other with wide-eyed amazement.
"Didn't he always keep it in the house?"
"Yes…but…" Realization dawned on Heather. "Ruby, he MUST have gotten my letters! He was still mad so he didn't show them to anyone because he didn't want Ma and you to know I was alive and then worry. He'd have to explain why he said I was dead when I was only missing. But he didn't want to get rid of them either. And he didn't want them in the house where Ma could find them. She can't read much but she'd know my writing. He must have put them in the box! And hid them out here since you never came here."
"Yes. That makes sense!" Ruby Mae was starting to grasp the picture. "Oh! And the playhouse reminded him of you. So it was perfect!"
"But how are we going to get in the box? I mean, I just want to see if the letters are there. That's all."
"Easy, silly. I ain't been hanging around Creed Allen for nuthin'." And with that, Ruby Mae pulled a hairpin out of her hair and deftly picked the lock.
"Ruby Mae!"
"Well, I don't steal anything. And it's a good skill that's come in handy. Believe me. Those mission folks are forever accidentally locking keys in suitcases or drawers or whatnot."
"Well…okay. Just as long as you're not doing anything bad."
"I'm not, and anyways, there's your answer." She opened the lid to reveal a neatly tied bundle of letters. "Pa must have his money with him in case he had to go to the store during the weekend."
"Who's hidin' in there?" A voice from outside the stump made their heads jerk up and look out the opening. "Who's there? Come out you! Come out or I'll shoot!"
They crawled out the opening to see a man on the path staring at them. He was past middle age and dressed in old but well mended cloths. They had the look of a man's sewing but it was practiced and neat. And old rifle was cocked in their direction.
"Grandpa Hal?" Ruby Mae stared in surprise.
"What?"
"Grandpa, it's me. Ruby Mae MacLeod Morrison."
"Sure it is, my lands. My eyes must be goin', not knowin' my own granddaughter." He lowered his gun. "Ya know, your pa left your ma here for the weekend. She's at the berry patch picking fruit for a pie." Duggin Morrison had refused all contact with his wife Leta's family, the MacLeods, when he married her. The only way she saw her family now was by sneaking over when Dugan was out of town selling firewood. "You and your friend should go swap howdys." He turned to look at Heather. "You look familiar, young lady. You live nearby?"
"I sure do. Grandpa, it's me. It's Heather."
Grandpa Hal looked shocked. "No, my little Heather's dead."
"Grandpa, I don't know what you heard or what stories my father's been telling. But I'm here and I'm alive". She quickly told him of her father's drunken rage and how she'd run off after her father hit her ma. "I'm so sorry I left, but I was young and scared and wanted to get away."
"Oh lass," Hal started to cry. "I know. I just wish you'd told us. You could have come here."
"I hadn't seen you for so long. I didn't know if I was welcome. I wrote to Pa sometimes but I never heard from him. We found out he hid the letters." She gestured to the cashbox lying on the floor of the playhouse.
"You were always welcome. You ARE always welcome. You both are." He wrapped his strong arm around his granddaughters. "Let's go find your ma."
The three of them walked to the old MacLeod homestead but before they could climb the steps the door flew open and Leta ran out. She enveloped Ruby Mae in her arms and gave her a big hug. The MacLeods and Morrisons were not prone to emotional displays but it had been a long long time since they had seen Ruby Mae while the grudge-filled Duggin was not around. Ruby Mae hugged her back.
After a long time Leta pulled back from Ruby Mae. She smiled at her father and then paused as she noticed the other person standing there. "It can't be," she whispered as she slowly looked into the eyes of her eldest daughter. "Did Duggin lie?" she quietly asked.
"Only because he didn't know the truth and wanted you to have closure. I ran away, Ma. I'm ashamed now that I did. I wrote many times and thought you didn't want me. Ma…" her voice broke down. "Pa kept the letters and hid them in his cashbox in our old playhouse. We found them this morning. He couldn't read them and didn't want to risk knowing that his child had left him in fear. I'm so sorry, I never meant to hurt you."
Leta gazed up at her daughter silently with tears in her eyes.
"Ma, I never stopped loving you and Pa and Ruby Mae and I never should have left without telling you in person. Can you forgive me?"
"Oh honey, there's nuthin' to forgive. It tain't your fault. You were always the fiery one. I think if you'd stayed you'd have gotten mad at your Pa and made it worse. You leavin' made him wise up and stay sober even if he was to stubborn to admit to you he was wrong. I'm thinkin' that's why he hid the letters and the truth. Duggin never did like to be wrong." She wrapped her arms around both her daughters and held them tight. "And now you're back. Wrongs can be fixed iffen the people who were there want it to be. And now we're all back in the Cove once again." Smiling, she took Heather's hand and led her up the porch. Grandpa Hal put his arm around Ruby Mae and they followed Leta and Heather inside. "Now, I've just finished a pie and some vittles and we have plenty of time to catch each other up…"
End of Chapter Four
Next Up - Nature School, because I think it's time we see Heather and Christy fully in action! And you know you want more of little Lulu and Joey!
Author's Note: Sappy yes, but kinda had to happen and it fleshes out Ruby Mae and Heather's past a bit more. I mean, Duggin's so grouchy, he could have had nothing to do with his wife's relatives, right? Arg! I want less school and more time to write!
