20th August 1848
Something told me we were going to be seeing a lot more of Mrs Cuthbert, I was not wrong. It's plain to the dogs in the street that Mr Cartwright is very taken with her. Good for him, I say, but I had bigger fish to fry today. I needed to put in little Joes eye drops. Little Joe has caught a nasty infection in both his eyes and needs for me to put stingy drops in twice a day. Adam eventually found him for me, he was hiding in the loft outside. It took both of us. No amount of cake would convince him so Adam held his head while I took hold of the rest of him. He hollered the house down but bless him those eye drops are being delivered to already sore eyes. He whimpered in Adams arms after we were done. I went to fetch him a piece of apple cake.
"I want some cake too," Marvin barked at me.
Mrs Cuthbert's son is now a regular visitor, along with the good lady herself. As I said, he's one and the same age as Adam but there is where the resemblance ends. Don't get me wrong now, young Adam is no angel. If I fall over that blessed guitar one more time I'm handing it out to the next gypsy who comes to the door but at least Adam will listen. He may scowl if you tell him off and begrudgingly put his boots upstairs or go close the barn door he left open but he will heed you, this young man. Where did they get him from.
He doesn't walk, he gallops around the yard as if he's a horse, he 16. Too big for that nonsense. And he has no manners. He nearly knocked me over when I went to put clothes on the line.
The first day Mr Cartwright introduced him to Adam, you could see he hoped the two would be friends. That makes me laugh now, I watched them from the window. I could see Adam trying to make conversation with him and he was play acting and trying to get Adam to wrestle with him. Young Adam didn't know what way to take him. Adam usually has a list of chores to do as long as your arm and doesn't engage much in horseplay.
~o~
Marvin's tomfoolery would have been funny if it weren't worrying. Since little Joe is curtailed from playing outside in the sunshine Hoss has gravitated towards this young pup and I don't like it. Mrs Cuthbert allows him to wear a gun. He hasn't the sense he was born with and he has more freedom with that thing than Mr Cartwright himself. I could see young Adam looking at that too. Mr Cartwright took Adams gun away from him since he accidentally left it loaded in a place where little Joe could find it. Mr Cartwright was right to take Adams gun away but then when you see someone with less sense dancing around the yard brandishing his weapon you begin to wonder has the world gone mad.
Mr Cartwright told me he talked to Mrs Cuthbert about it and she told him the gun is never loaded. No of course it ain't and I'm Adelaide Adams.
~o~
Anyhow I digress, I did not bring Marvin cake. He could wait until after dinner like everyone else and I told him so. He swaggered off outside as if he owned the place. Hoss immediately got up and scampered after him. I knew what was coming next. I slowly headed for the kitchen and sure enough a minute later Hoss was sneaking towards the cake.
"And what's this," I snapped.
Hoss stood to attention the apple slice scrunched in the hand behind his back.
"I was powerful hungry Mrs Jennings," he began.
"Hoss, you wanna try that one again," I asked him softly.
"Marvin wanted some cake ma'am." Hoss bowed his head in shame at the untruth he told.
"Turn,"
Hoss turned and I swatted him once on his rump. More playful than hard, my Hoss.
"Now you tell that Marvin he needs to do his own dirty work ye hear?"
"Yes ma'am." Hoss ambled out.
~o~
Mr Cartwright and Mrs Cuthbert returned from their ride in time for dinner. She learnt from Mr Cartwright that I was the children's nanny and spent the evening talking about the trials she has suffered in finding a competent nanny to care for Marvin over the years. Amazingly every single nanny proved incapable of carrying out that task. Every single nanny. Imagine that.
I can imagine that.
Just as we were speaking of Marvin, Adam got up and moving to the front door he pulled at a line of rope attached there.
"It's not funny," Adam told Marvin.
A moment later Hop Sing came through the door carrying firewood. Marvin knew he would be back from his task but there was no rope to trip him as Marvin had hoped.
I'm sorry to be repeating myself but Marvin is gone sixteen. I had to tell him off for chasing the chickens around the yard yesterday. Don't get me wrong, Hoss does fool things too and I tell him off just the same but Marvin is sneaky. I don't like a sneaky child. He tried to tell me Adam did it when I saw him walk through the back gate and leave it open. He was the last through that gate and he knew it.
I respect Mr Cartwright but I've enough to do with Hoss growing like a giant and little Joe needing extra care for his eye infection, the last thing I need right now is an extra child in the house.