Gladdie left his own thoughts long enough to see that Archie gazed at Clara, who looked at him in return. He expected Archie to start talking about food, but for once, he seemed speechless. Gladdie cleared his throat. “Archie, do you recollect Clara Fields?”
Recognition flickered in his eyes. “I do! You’re Drusie’s little sister, all grown up?”
Clara looked him straight in the eyes before she decided to study the hem of her skirt in a demure manner. “That’s me.”
“You sure have grown up.” Archie’s voice had lost its usual brashness.
Drusie smiled. “That’s just what she said about you.”
Clara poked Drusie in the ribs. “Drusie!”
“There ain’t nothin’ wrong with what you said. It’s just a fact.”
Archie didn’t take his gaze from Clara’s face. “Yeah. It’s a fact.”
Gladdie wondered at the scene. Instead of his usual slang, Archie spoke in terms regular people could understand. For a moment, it seemed as though the old Archie he knew and liked had returned.
“It’s—uh, sure nice to see you,” Archie said.
“Why don’t you sit down?” Gladdie suggested. “I have a reason for bringin’ Clara to see you.”
Gladdie’s ma chose that moment to interrupt. “I thought I heard voices out here. Hello, Clara. My, you look pretty in your Sunday best. I always say the Fields girls are the prettiest around.” She winked at Drusie, which made Gladdie feel proud and happy that his mother liked her.
“Today’s special. Our Archie is home.” Mrs. Gordon took Archie’s chin in her hand and wiggled his clean-shaven skin with the affection of an aunt.
Gladdie remembered his responsibilities. “Could you let Pa know I’ll be there to help in a few minutes?”
Ma cackled. “He’s in a right good mood today. He said you can have the afternoon off this once.”
“Well, hows about that?” Gladdie smiled. Realizing he didn’t need to rush off to do chores left him feeling at ease.
“Supper will be ready shortly.” Ma disappeared into the house.
“I would have offered to help, but she went in too fast,” Clara said.
Gladdie tried not to smile. Enthusiasm for housework wasn’t going to get Clara a husband; her pretty face would. “Ma can take care of supper. Besides, we need you out here.”
“You do? Let’s hear what’s on your mind.” Archie took a seat in a rocker.
Gladdie took in a breath before letting the words spill. “Mr. Fields said Drusie cain’t go without Clara. He wants them to look out for each other.”
Archie crossed his arms. “I see. He doesn’t trust me, eh? Seems he’d know by now that a Gordon can be trusted.”
“I know,” Gladdie agreed.
“Please try not to let your feelin’s get hurt,” Drusie said. “Pa don’t mean no harm. He just don’t want nothin’ to happen to any of us girls, that’s all.”
“I can respect that.” Archie tapped his lips with his forefinger. “There’s only one problem. I can’t afford to take you both.”
Gladdie’s emotions roiled at Archie’s admission. He didn’t want Drusie to leave home, yet she was so excited by the prospect of helping him make a better future for them both that he hated to see the opportunity slip away with such ease. But what could he do? “I reckon that’s it, then.”
“Wait,” Drusie objected. “Clara’s a great singer. She can sing with me. We sing together all the time, and most people seem to think she and I sound better together than apart.”
“They do?” Archie’s voice brightened, and he leaned forward in his seat.
“They do.” For the first time since before they left the Fieldses’ house, Gladdie’s voice held a hint of optimism.
“Won’t you give her a chance to sing for you before you make up your mind, Archie? Please?” Drusie begged.
“You got time, Clara?” Archie inquired.
“I sure do.”
“Sure she does. She brought her fiddle.” Drusie nodded to her sister. “Didn’t you, Clara?”
“I sure enough did.”
Archie rocked back. “Well, I don’t have anything to lose by sitting here, enjoying the mountain air and the smell of biscuits baking, listening to the two of you harmonize. Why don’t you sing me a couple of tunes? Clara, you sing a number by yourself, and then sing something for me with Drusie.”
Without pause, the sisters played the tunes they had talked about earlier. Gladdie observed Archie’s expression as they sang. His face went from unreadable to pleased.
After three choruses, they strummed the last note, and Archie clapped. “You’re swell!”
“We are?” Drusie blurted.
“Don’t sound so surprised. A star has to be confident,” Archie reprimanded in a playful tone. He looked at the women and sighed, shaking his head. “I must say, you live up to your promise. I sure wish I could take you both.”
Gladdie wasn’t one to chastise others, but he felt a challenge was in order. “But Archie, you said you have plenty of money.”
“Sure, I got plenty of salad. But it costs a lot to run a show, and I got to stay to a certain budget.” He shook his head again, and he looked at Clara with—what? Longing?
Clara piped up. “I’ll sing for free.”
“Free?” Archie quipped. “That’s a price made in heaven, but I can’t let you do that.”
“But you think we’ll be successful, right?”
“Sure. I wouldn’t cut a record with you otherwise. Even if you are the prettiest doll I’ve seen in a long time.”
Clara averted her eyes coyly but got right back to business. “If we’re that good, maybe Drusie will share her profits with me.” She eyed her sister. “Would you do that, Drusie? There should be plenty of money to go around if we’re as good as Archie says we are.”
Drusie paused only for a moment. “You’re right. It makes more sense for both of us to go and split the profits than for neither of us to go at all.”
Archie cast Drusie a doubtful look. “Are you sure, Drusie? You’re makin’ a sacrifice not everybody would make.”
“She’s my sister. It ain’t no sacrifice. You know she’s doin’ me a favor by goin’ since Pa won’t have it any other way.”
“Okay then. Maybe I can see my way clear to give you a better percentage of the profits, then. Never let it be said I took advantage of you or anybody else.”
Clara beamed. “So it’s settled.”
“Congratulations, Miss Clara Fields. You have just joined Mountain Music Records.”
Clara shook his hand and held his gaze. “Why, thanks, Archie. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Yeah.” His voice was soft.
Gladdie decided to break the spell. “Clara, I’m happy for you.”
“Me, too!” Drusie embraced her sister.
“Now we just need a name for our twosome.” Archie’s businesslike tone had returned. “Got any suggestions?”
“I don’t know,” Gladdie said. “You’re the professional.”
“How about the Gospel Girls?” Clara suggested.
“But you’ll be singing traditional mountain music, not just hymns,” Archie pointed out.
The group bantered around several names.
“I know!” Archie snapped his fingers. “How about the North Carolina Mountain Girls?”
“Ain’t that a mite long? Can anybody remember all that?” Gladdie wondered. “Might not be bad if we shorten it to the NC Mountain Girls.”
Archie gazed at the sky. “The NC Mountain Girls.” He paused. “Hmm. Not bad. Okay, let’s go with that, then.”
“Good. Now we can relax,” Clara said.
“Relax?” Archie laughed. “You’re just getting started. You’ve got to sign the contract. He reached into an inner pocket in his suit coat and handed Drusie some papers.
She read the contract as Gladdie and Clara peered over her shoulders. “Looks like a bunch of legal gibberish.
I want Pa to sign for me.”
“Them papers is nothin’ but Greek to me,” Clara said. “I want Pa to sign for me, too.”
Drusie pointed to blank lines. “What’s this for?”
Archie glanced at the lines. “Oh, those. That’s to fill in the dates the contract is good for. I’ll fill that in and let your pa initial it.”
“How come it’s a set time like that?” Gladdie asked.
“For everybody’s protection. If things don’t work out, it’s easier to let the contract expire than to have to break a binding legal agreement,” Archie said.
“Makes sense,” Gladdie said.
“Fine with me.” Drusie handed the papers back to Archie.
He returned the papers to his pocket. “I’ll go see your father, and as soon as he signs, we’ll begin. I have a tour in mind you can join. It starts a few days after I’m—we’re scheduled to get back to Raleigh.”
Drusie swallowed. “So soon?”
“The sooner the better,” Archie answered. “Pack your bags. We’re heading out tomorrow.”
❧
After supper, Gladdie made a point of taking Drusie for a walk in the forest. They strolled along the narrow path they had covered together so many times before, stopping at familiar landmarks they could barely see as twilight fell.
Drusie paused at an ancient oak. Finding a heart with the couple’s initials Gladdie had carved when they were in high school, she outlined the indentations with her finger. “Our own special tree. We still have the only initials carved on it.”
“Remember the day I did that?”
“I sure do. It was May Day, and I was partners with Ben for the maypole dance.”
“I never did like Ben much.”
The sound of Drusie’s laughter jingled prettily. “Mrs. Thomas set us together because he was so short and so am I. You know he always had eyes for Bobbie Sue.”
“All I remember is I could hardly think about the dance, I was studyin’ you so much and thinkin’ about how I’d spent most of the mornin’ carvin’ out our initials. I didn’t pay poor Hilda no mind.”
“Don’t worry. She was too busy flirtin’ with Tab.”
“Was she? I didn’t notice.” Gladdie placed his hands on hers and followed the motion of outlining the heart around the initials. Her soft hand felt so small and vulnerable under his. He wanted to protect her forever. How could he, when she was off to see the world without him?
Drusie didn’t move her hand. “This here carvin’ was quite a surprise. I didn’t even know you had a hankerin’ for me. Even though I know I sure had it bad for you.” She stopped moving her hand long enough to give him a sly grin. “What would you have done if I’d said I didn’t love you back?”
“Oh, I reckon I would have found some other girl with the initials D.F.”
“Is that what you think?” A playful slap on the arm emphasized her point. “Who’s to say I wouldn’t have found somebody else with your initials?”
“He wouldn’t have kissed you like this.” Turning serious, Gladdie took her in his arms and caressed his lips against hers. He held her for all he was worth, letting the kiss linger so Drusie wouldn’t forget his love for her. Judging from the way she relaxed in his arms and pressed her lips more urgently against his, he knew she would always remember him. “We’ll marry as soon as you get back from your tour,” he murmured between kisses.
“Do you mean that?” She peered into his eyes.
He held her more closely. “Yes. I ain’t never meant nothin’ more. I love you, Drusie. You understand me?” He broke off the kiss long enough to take a little box out of his trousers pocket. “I’ve got something here for you. I’ve been savin’ money for it all along.”
“Gladdie! I don’t want you to spend your money on me!”
He shrugged. “Who else am I gonna spend it on?”
She looked into the little box. A heart-shaped pendant with the inscription I Love You glimmered against red satin. The pendant was set on a chain so thin it looked almost transparent. She gasped. “It’s beautiful! Oh, I’ll wear it always!”
“You better! Here, let me put it on you.”
Drusie turned around and let him fasten the hook. The pendant hung daintily around her neck. “I love it! I’ll sleep in it and everything!”
“You don’t have to do that, as long as you don’t forget how much I love you.”
“I never will.” She punctuated her promise with a sweet, tender kiss.
Gladdie would have kissed her back had they not been interrupted by someone clearing his throat. He turned to see Archie.
“So there you are. Sorry. I hate to break up the party, but your pa wants to see you, Gladdie. Right away.”
Six
Gladdie wondered what Pa could want. Why had he sent Archie into the woods to find him? An ominous feeling visited Gladdie, but he tried to keep his voice light. “Sure, Archie.” He took Drusie’s hand. “Come on.”
Archie shook his head. “He said he wants to see you alone. Sorry, Drusie. Gladdie, would you like me to walk her back to her house?”
“Sure.” Gladdie swallowed. What could Pa want that meant he had to leave Drusie behind? He didn’t like it. Not one bit.
“I hope everything’s all right.” Drusie’s sentiment echoed his concern.
“It will be. Pray!” Gladdie blurted.
“I always do.”
“At this rate, I’ll even pray,” Archie added. “Let’s go, Drusie.”
Gladdie approached his house with a sense of anxiety but kept putting one foot in front of the other until he heard Pa calling from the back. “There you are, Gladdie. Stay right there.”
“Yes, sir.”
Pa hollered out to the others that Gladdie had been found and to leave them be on the porch. Too fidgety to sit, Gladdie remained standing.
Soon his father appeared, looking fit and trim as always, his fine physique unable to be hidden by work clothes. Gladdie imagined he would look much like his pa if God allowed him to reach the age of forty-eight. So many years seemed a long way off.
“Sit down, son.” Pa took a seat, and the tone of his voice demanded that Gladdie obey him.
“Yes, sir.” Gladdie sat. “You wanted to see me?”
“ ’Course I did. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t’ve called for ya.” His eyes narrowed. “Now what’s this I hear about you lettin’ a woman earn your way?”
Hesitating, Gladdie didn’t know what to say. The idea that Pa would object to their plans had never occurred to him. “Uh, is that what Ma told you?”
“No, but she did tell me you’re plannin’ to let Drusie go to Raleigh and sing to make money so you can buy the store. Is that right?”
“Yes, sir.” Gladdie’s stomach felt as though it was caught in a timber hitch knot.
Pa shook his head. “I’d’ve never believed such a thing if you hadn’t’ve told me so yourself. That just won’t do. Gordon men fend for themselves, and our womenfolk live on what we provide. If Drusie thinks she needs to live like a queen, she can make her own way, but you are not to take charity.”
“Charity? I don’t think of Drusie’s singin’ as charity. She’s gonna be my wife.” Seeing the hard look on Pa’s face demoralized Gladdie. His pa had always been a stubborn soul, unwilling to accept help from anyone. Gladdie shouldn’t have been surprised by his reaction, although he felt taken aback all the same. Gladdie reached for another argument. “I didn’t ask her to go. She wants to go. Singin’ in a band is her dream. Well, at least it is now that Archie’s taken a mind to lettin’ her and her sister form the NC Mountain Girls.”
“So it was her idea to carry you. They even got a name for theirselves, huh?”
“Yes, sir.” Gladdie hoped since the plans were already so far along that Pa wouldn’t object further.
Gladdie’s hopes evaporated when Pa shook his head again. “I wish them two girls the best, but all the same, I won’t have people sayin’ my boy had to take money from his intended
like that.”
He didn’t want to argue with his father, but he saw no other way. “But Pa, how else am I gonna get to buy the store?”
“I’ve thought of that. I know you’ve had your eye to bein’ a merchant for a long time now. Mr. Goode has been kind to you, even to the point of lettin’ you have the day off so you could visit with Archie. Bein’ exposed to the store like that, I can see why you got such an idea. And I think you’d be good at storekeepin’, too. You got a head for figures, and people seem to like you right good.”
Gladdie hadn’t realized Pa had been paying so much attention to his hopes and dreams. The unaccustomed compliments from his pa, usually a taciturn man, pleased him. He took a moment to relish such golden words. “Thank you, Pa.”
“Since you seem to have the ambition to make your dream come true, I think you have the determination not to waste money. So I have a plan.” Pa leaned closer and lowered his voice. “Me and your ma, we got a few dollars saved up. I’ll loan you the money. But you have to pay it back. With interest.”
Gratitude, surprise, and excitement flooded Gladdie. “You—you’d do that for me?” He didn’t recall Pa helping out his older brothers and sisters in such a manner.
“You’re my son. Mebbe I’m gettin’ soft in my old age. But you’re my youngest, and time on this here earth is gettin’ shorter and shorter for me with each passin’ day. Experience has showed me that sometimes a man has to help his son out. But that don’t mean all this is free. Like I said, you got to pay all the money back. If you don’t, then the store’s mine.” Pa stood and extended his hand for a shake. “Deal?”
“Deal.” Gladdie grasped his father’s hand. “Thank you, Pa. I never would have thought you’d have enough money to help me out.”
Mock insult covered Pa’s face. “Why? Because we don’t spend no more than I make? We even manage to put away a few dollars every week. I’ll bet a lot of them folks in Raleigh owe money to every merchant in town. They live high on the hog. We hill folk live simple and save up money for a rainy day.”
“Maybe so.” Gladdie grinned. “I’m gonna follow your advice, Pa, and save up my money, too. After I pay you back.”
Music Of Home Page 5
