And the greatest of these is Love
Chapter 35
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Fiona and James went upstairs to the Master Suite of Billees to check with Ruth and Robert Scholl if they were ready to go downstairs for the dance. James' brother, Carl was already downstairs helping the Hopefuls with anything they needed setting up. Maggie and Sam had helped clean up Billees after the last of the leftovers were consumed.
What the town didn't know was that King James Scholl had a surprise for them. He arranged for his female singing partner, Dianna Starr, to sing that night and their piano player partner, Mr. Augustus Landis, would accompany them also. However, Augustus offered to come earlier to play the piano for the families.
The children that came for the first few hours might remember Mr. Landis when he almost shut down their school because there was concern that Elizabeth Thornton wasn't qualified to teach Angela Canfield. Elizabeth was upset that even though Angela was blind, she felt she could handle teaching her and even obtained braille books for Angela. There obviously was support of the town for Elizabeth and Angela, as the children all walked to the school together with Angela and her family.
Later, Mr. Landis was invited for dinner by Minnie, at the Canfields, even though Angela and Cooper didn't like him. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise as he joined in playing their piano with Angela. It was a turning point in Augustus's life. After that he left the job of being the school superintendent and went back to playing piano, which was his first love. Now he was a regular at the Benson Hills Clubhouse, playing for James and Dianna.
Elizabeth had consented that little Jack could go with her to the dance, but only until it was his bedtime. Will Malone asked if they'd sit with him, so against Tom's disappointment, Elizabeth happily accepted as long as Tom would be there too. Tom agreed, of course, but told Elizabeth that he had his eye on Will.
Elizabeth knew Tom was just looking out for her, but assured him he was being overprotective. When Elizabeth, Jack and Tom entered Billees, Will Malone stood up at his table and waved at them to come over.
The room was filling up now with Molly, Bill, Rosemary, and Lee being the ever gracious hosts. As promised, Mary and Christine were busy with the Victrola keeping it playing before Diana Starr and Augustus would take the stage.
Robert picked up Allie but he also promised to drive Harper and Karen too. Robert had assured Harper that he would drive them so they wouldn't have to have her parents drive, in hopes that maybe Harper would find an opportunity to finally kiss Karen. At least that was his plan.
Allie saw Anna Hayford, Laura Campbell, Angela Canfield and Emily Montgomery sitting with Timmy Lawson, Giuseppe Moretti, and Ronnie Lipinski, so she grabbed Robert's hand with Karen and Harper following.
"Hi everyone! There's sure a lot of people here tonight!" Allie greeted.
"Yea, let's push two tables together for all of us," Timmy suggested.
The Hopefuls had gathered as usual too, but there were so many of them that it was next to impossible to sit all together. Some of them went back outside waiting for the crowd to settle in.
Walter quickly approached Lisa and escorted her outside, "I haven't had much of a chance to see you lately Lisa. You look very pretty tonight!"
Lisa was flattered since she had especially bought her new dress hoping to catch Walter's eye. Now that he had moved with his parents to Hope Valley, she thought maybe they could pursue becoming more than friends.
"Thank you, Walter. I'm glad you like it." Lisa smiled.
Outside they saw Lucia Moretti walking with Ben Carmon. Actually at closer look, Lisa noticed they were holding hands which indicated they were already dating. Lucia was not as reserved as she once was before her job as a reporter working with Rosemary. Just being in the town and out from her big family allowed her to mature and she was enjoying being with Ben and the other Hopefuls.
Of course everyone knew that Lana and Trevor were already a couple. In fact, Trevor had talked to Lana's father, Dan Peterson, about courting Lana and to their pleasure, Dan was fond of Trevor and gave his approval. Everyone was waiting for the next step. Lana looked lovely in her new skirt. The length was shorter than she was used to, but Dottie told her she could dance freely with less fabric now, so she thought she'd give it a try.
Since Debra worked at Dottie's Apparel, she had a new style dress on that was mid-calf and a had a touch of fringe on it which was highlighted by a long string of beads down to the middle of her dress. She even wore a small head dressing that had beads in it to match. Tom Thornton had caught her eye but when she found out he was only visiting she was happy to have John Russo's attention again. He knew she had her mother, Flo as a connection to Hope Valley, even if she decided to return to college for her last semester.
Gunther was still attracted to Rosaleen and vice versa. They both were seen with others, but eventually they wound up together at any activity the Hopefuls planned. The only problem was Andy. He was like a twin with Gunther. He wasn't linked up to any one girl in particular as there were more males than females. He had stiff competition with Matthew, Mark, and Luke and there was only Katie Yost and the new girl, Ruth Taylor available at the moment. The older bachelors, Kevin Townsend and Mike Hickam were still available and just hadn't found the right girl yet.
All around the room friends were gathering with hardly any room to dance. Bill asked Lee, "You think we should take the tables out? We're bursting at the seams!"
"Maybe we can try leaving the tables here and have the dancing in the new addition," Lee suggested. Bill nodded in agreement.
Soon, all the regulars had arrived. The married couples brought their children and were enjoying the records playing on the Victrola and the tunes that Mr. Landis played.
When Fiona and James came down the stairs with his parents, the King and Queen looked absolutely enchanting. They definitely were a stunning couple and fit their roles perfectly. The music stopped and James greeted all the folks for coming and helping to make the day complete by attending the dance that evening.
That's when he shared his surprise about Dianna Starr coming later to sing with him, "Folks, I just want to show my appreciation for you all by letting you know that Miss Dianna Starr will be accompanying me at 10:00, so we will be looking forward to her later."
Fiona thanked everyone again for all the hard work that was accomplished with teamwork. "As your Mayor and now your queen," Fiona laughed, "I am so proud of you all for making today such a success from the parade, scrumptious food, to the baseball game, dunk tank, and all the wonderful games, just know it couldn't have been without all your help! Thank you!" The crowd nodded in agreement and clapped.
"Also thank you to our Princes Rick O'Neil and Jake Taylor with their lovely Princesses Christy O'Neil and Violet Taylor. Now, before any further ado, let the dancing begin!"
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After such a long day with the parade, buffet, baseball game, dunking, pie-eating contest, games and races the dance was the icing on the cake for Hope Valley. As planned, the Moretti family performed their songs and lots of the children tried to sing or dance to their lively tunes, enjoying their time with their families.
The children didn't stay long, they were pretty well worn out from all the day's activities and they knew there was church Sunday morning. Families went home as the parents tucked their children in bed and followed shortly after themselves. Contentment brought on a swift trip to sweet dreams.
Those 18 and over could stay which meant Allie, Robert, and Harper could stay, but Karen needed permission as she wasn't quite 18 just yet. Karen's dad allowed her to stay another hour, but wanted her home by 11:00. Robert promised he would drive her home then. Harper was so relieved that he'd finally have some alone time with her. After just a few dances that none of them knew what they were doing but having a great time nonetheless, Robert was very conscientious and told their group it was time to go. He certainly didn't want to get Karen in trouble. They sang in the car together, "By the light of the silvery moon." Just about reaching Karen's house Harper pulled Karen in close to him and quickly but gently gave her a kiss. Karen thought she was in heaven.
As they pulled up to her house, Harper said, "I hope that was all right with you. I've been wanting to kiss you for a long time."
Karen smiled and whispered, "I'm so glad you did."
Just then her father opened the door and nodded at Harper, "Good night son."
Karen waved, and Harper's heart was pounding hard as he headed back to the automobile.
Dianna Starr was on stage with James singing and Augustus as accompanying pianist. Being professionals they put on a fabulous show and asked that any donations be put in a jar to go straight to the new school gymnasium equipment.
They sang all their favorite songs, Puttin' on the Ritz, Doin' what comes naturally, Hanky-Panky, April Showers, and more. James called up Fiona and asked her to sing Blue Skies with him. At first Fiona wanted no part of it, but her fiance wouldn't take no for an answer. Fiona actually had a beautiful voice and they blended well to her surprise.
It didn't take long before Dee was up with the singers. She just couldn't resist with music her forte. She dragged Nathan up by her, but he absolutely refused to sing along. So, she serenaded him singing, Always. She kissed him ever so sweetly when the song was over. Slightly embarrassed, Nathan returned to his seat, but Dee stayed for one more song, Second Hand Rose which she sang with Dianna and really enjoyed herself!
The hottest new dance for the 1920's was the Charleston. It was quite a fun dance, so different from the fox trot and the waltzes that the men would dance. Ladies often had to go out on the floor with eachother as the men weren't too fond of learning it. Jane led the Chickadees out on the floor and soon the women were enjoying themselves learning the Charleston and after awhile they even tried the tango. Laughing as they learned the steps, they were having the time of their lives!
Meanwhile, some of the men just sat at the tables and socialized with the other men. The Hopefuls were always busy dancing, playing cards or darts. A few of the couples were outside again holding hands and walking, or sitting and watching stars, or kissing. It was a perfect night with a full moon and the stars out and shining brightly. Romance was flowing in the air!
The Scholls listened to a few songs and were very impressed with their son performance. They realized that his true passion was music and definitely not dentistry. Robert had pushed him to be a professional, like his younger brother who was an attorney. Although James was very good at his profession, when Ruth and Robert heard their son's repertoire, they were very impressed and happy for him, and especially delighted that he was engaged to Fiona. During his break, they made sure to tell him so. Dianna sat with his parents and got quickly acquainted. James was happy that they had finally all met.
While the Victrola was playing records that Sam or Maggie put on, different dance styles were offered. Rosemary and Lee were very elegant on the floor dancing to the waltz. James excused Fiona and himself from his parents to hold his fiance and swirl her about. She was so lovely in her beautiful blue dress he wanted her to show it off. Following suit, Rick held his hand out for Christy who was very happy to be led across the floor with her man. Jake couldn't be outdone, and snapped up his lovely lady, Violet onto the dance floor also. She was very beautiful in her violet dress and Jake told her so again.
The fox trot seemed to be a favorite of Ned and Flo, and Henry and Dottie. The fox trot brought other couples out to the floor, Dan and Gail Peterson, Will and Elsa, and even Brook and Carl. Molly even managed to pull Bill away from the other men long enough to get in a dance or two with her man. The night was bursting with fun! There was not a quiet place inside but those who wanted that, had a heavenly night to gaze at the stars!
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The piercing ringing in James ear insisted that he open his eyes and wake up. Sitting up he found the culprit and turned off the assault to his ears. It was 7:00 in the morning, but he could've slept a few more hours. His thoughts came rushing in, last night was the dance and he didn't get home until 1:30 this morning. He had stayed at Billees after everyone went home to help clean up with Fiona. His parents and brother had slipped upstairs to the suite they were staying in, so by the time he dropped Fiona off at her home, he wanted to come inside and be with her a little while longer, but she was yawning and wanted to go to bed, so he reluctantly left for home, looking forward to the day he wouldn't be leaving, but instead be able to cozy up to his wife!
Sliding his feet off the bed and unto the floor, he stood up and stretched. He better make some coffee and bathe. He promised he'd pick up his family and bring them with Fiona to church this morning.
Over at Billees, Constable Andy Roberts's parents were also waiting to be escorted by their son that morning to church. Andy had no idea that Sargent Grant had secretly made arrangements for his folks to come to Hope Valley for the Family Festival and his birthday. It was such a kind surprise and he was thankful that he was assigned to this post with him. Sargent Grant was a name that was shared all around the Mountie school as being a well-known man of integrity, brave, and yet kind. So, when he was told he would be assigned under his leadership for his last year's internship he was very happy! Now, later today he was going to be the guest of honor at the Grant home for his birthday celebration.
It was very hard some Sundays to get everyone ready for church at the Grant house. Christopher was up early so Dee would have to get up with him, but Allie always wanted to sleep in. Nathan would take his Ma and Dad to the O'Neill's for mass in the Barn with Fr. Ricardo and his parishioners, then come back home to take his family to the Community Church. Sometimes, Molly and Bill would pick up his parents which really helped, but today everyone was moving slowly.
It was a bit cloudy out this morning which was quite a change from the day before. "I'm not so sure I want to walk to church this morning Minnie told Joseph. I think it might rain."
"Do you want me to drive us? I don't mind, but we live so close," Joseph replied.
"If you don't mind, I'd rather be safe than sorry," Minnie suggested.
Pastor Canfield opened up the church and went into his office to go over his sermon notes and re-read the Scripture he would do his teaching on. Minnie was getting all the Sunday School activities ready for the children, and Angela was practicing the songs for the service on the piano. Cooper was just about ready to toll the bell, but when he opened the doors to the church, the clouds were dark and rolling in the sky fast.
"Dad, you need to come here and see the sky!" Cooper called.
Joseph walked over and peered around outside. "You're right Cooper. The weather looks likes storms are coming. Go ahead and toll the bell Coop, we never let our a little rain stop our gatherings before."
Little by little the congregants came running inside. The wind had picked up and the clouds seemed to be boiling up in the sky. Some of the children were picking up on their parents rushing them inside and started to act up or cry.
"Please, please, have a seat everyone. There is no reason to be afraid. God told us that He is with us always," Pastor Joseph said as he nodded to his daughter to begin playing their first song.
Dee joined Angela and together they led the congregation in "Joyful, joyful, we adore Thee," hoping the song would calm down any anxiety. As soon as the song ended and everyone quieted down, a loud clap of thunder!
Christopher was sitting on his sister's lap and immediately started to cry.
"Dad, that scared him, look!" Allie said alarmed.
Nathan looked at Christopher and held his hands out, "Come to daddy."
Christopher's wails caused Dee to rush to him. Hoping he would be happy to see his Momma she swept him up from Nathan into her arms and softly sang to him while rocking him. Christopher responded to Dee and was settled in her arms.
Pastor Joseph began reading from Scripture and was able to keep everyone's attention until a crack of lightening along with another clap of thunder, this time shaking the windows. The children were definitely uncomfortable, so Joseph had Angela play another song on the piano, "Jesus loves the little children."
The service continued, but by the time it was time to end, the winds had picked up and the walls seemed to moan under the stress of the wind. Nathan got up to look outside. What he saw he didn't like. There was a funnel cloud out in the distance.
He turned towards the people and asked Joseph, "Does this church have a basement?"
"There's a small cellar, why?" Joseph looked at confused.
"Joseph, come here, please."
Joseph walked over to join Nathan and looked outside. Nathan cautioned Joseph, "We need to move the folks down there, it looks to me there's a possible tornado coming our way."
Joseph nodded in agreement and asked everyone to not panic, but that they all needed to take cover right away, "Please follow me."
Over at the O'Neil's barn, the parishioners attending mass knew that something was happening outside as they heard the rafters of the barn creaking. When Mr. Moretti looked out the window, he saw roof shingles blowing off the barn and being swirled around in the wind. There was a large ripping sound that shook the earth followed by a huge boom as a large tree was uprooted and was now laying on it's side.
When the draft from the wind blew out the candles, Rick wasted no time taking Christy and Timi Anne outside and ran to the cellar close to the house. The rest of the people grabbed eachother and held tight as the wind blew them around as they stumbled to the cellar. Mary and Sean helped Emily and Archie and made sure Bertie, Ted, and Hannah all held hands as they led them fighting the terrible winds and blowing debris to get to the cellar. Fr. Ricardo grabbed his chalice and the Eucharist protecting them under his vestments and kept his head down as the rain pelted his face.
As everyone was sheltered in place, they all prayed, "Lord, we know you calmed the sea, please now calm this storm and protect us and all our loved ones. Amen."
