“I know it.” Gladdie picked up their suitcases. By resuming a slow pace to the next window, he encouraged Drusie to keep moving. “Don’t you never think you’re no good at singin’. I think you can live the rest of your days out knowin’ that people—all kinds of people—think you sing good. Even if all this turns out bad, you’ve had a chance not everybody gets. And that is to live out a dream that a whole lot of singers would’ve given their eyeteeth for.” Gladdie set down their luggage.
Drusie peered into the hardware store window but didn’t take much interest in a wheelbarrow and a sign promising that seed orders for spring planting would be taken starting January. “You’re right. Archie did give me a chance not many girls ever get. I’ll have to thank him for that, no matter what.”
Tired of staring at the wheelbarrow, she edged away. Gladdie picked up their suitcases and they walked toward the corner, planning to stroll through the residential section. They had the address and knew the road would lead to the church where the bands were scheduled to perform that evening. The waitress at the diner had told them they’d have to pass through a few blocks of houses before they’d find a small white church on the corner of Fifth and Elm. Gladdie kept pace beside her.
Lord, thank You for sending us sunshine and not much of a breeze so we don’t freeze to death.
Drusie noticed a large residence on a lawn that looked like it would take a lot of upkeep. Maybe being rich had its advantages, but Drusie couldn’t imagine herself in charge of a big home like the one they were passing.
“You’d like a big house like that one day, wouldn’t you?” Gladdie mused.
“Naw, I was thinkin’ just the opposite. I reckon I’ll always be a little mountain girl.”
“That’s why you’re so popular singin’. People see you’re genuine, and they like that. When you sing a song, they know you mean it.”
“I’m glad you think that. Sometimes I wonder, I get so tired. I thought singin’ would be an easy way to make some fast money. And I suppose in some ways, it is. I have grown to like performin’ for the crowds.” Drusie sighed. “But you know somethin’? Goin’ here, there, and yonder with the band has taught me somethin’ important. Entertainers are paid to make what they do look easy. They have to look like they’re havin’ the best time in the world, singin’ their hearts out night after night after night. They have to make it look like they’ve only sang their songs once or twice, not a hundred times, so many times they’re sick of every tune. Some nights, I wish I never had to hear a banjo play again. But until you fell out with Archie, I kept goin’. For Clara. And so we could have us a nice little nest egg.”
“I’ll always love you for that.” He sent her the crooked grin she knew and loved.
“And I’ll always love you, too.” To keep from getting too sentimental in public, Drusie changed the subject. “There’s the church.”
“Sure looks like it. It should be unlocked. We can go into the sanctuary and rest and pray.”
“That’s a fine idea. Hey, how are we gonna handle this situation with Archie? We’ve been together all day, and even with all our prayers, I don’t sense a firm answer from the Lord on what to do about this, exactly. Have you?”
“No.”
“We still ain’t come up with a way to prove Elmer and that strange woman are to blame for all the missin’ stuff. I reckon even our brains together are a mite puny.”
Gladdie laughed. “Maybe so. But not as puny as all that. I’ve been thinkin’, maybe it’s not up to us to prove nothin’.”
“Say what?”
“I know it sounds odd, but I mean it. I’ve been thinkin’ and thinkin’, and I just don’t feel right about tryin’ to prove anything about Elmer. I don’t think it’s my place, somehow.”
A phrase from Romans popped into Drusie’s head. “ ‘Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.’ ”
As they approached the church, Drusie’s stomach tied itself into a knot when she noticed Archie’s automobile parked out front in all its cream-colored glory. “They must be early.”
“Must be. But I don’t think that should keep us from prayin’.” He stopped, and they took a moment to ask the Lord for the right words. As soon as they did, Drusie felt stronger. She sensed that Gladdie did, too.
The band was unpacking in the sanctuary. Archie was off by himself, talking with two men Gladdie hadn’t seen before. He watched his cousin pat one on the shoulder and wondered who they were.
“Archie! I’m back!” Drusie called to him. She touched Gladdie’s arm in silent instruction for him to hold back on his greeting, thinking it wiser for her to see Archie first since he was a little less angry with her than he was with Gladdie. At least, she hoped.
Archie didn’t hesitate to turn his head toward the sound of her voice. He smiled and, excusing himself from his new companions, broke off from them and headed toward her. “Well, well, well! You decided to come back, I see. I knew you’d miss being onstage and all the accolades. Not to mention the pretty dresses. You made the right decision.” He crossed his arms. “I hope you realize this means I’ll be giving you a 10 percent pay cut. I can’t have my canaries running off on me and then thinking they can just come back anytime without paying the piper—or should I say, the fiddler.”
“I don’t care nothin’ about that. How’s Clara?”
“She’s swell. Why wouldn’t she be? She’s done a stand-up job without you.”
“Oh.” Drusie couldn’t help but feel a touch of disappointment.
“Oh, all right,” Archie admitted. “She bawled all night after the show.” He shook his head and stared at the peak in the sanctuary.
Drusie felt Gladdie’s presence nearby. “Hello, cuz.”
Archie’s posture became rigid, and his expression darkened. “What are you doing here?”
“I came here to be with Drusie.” Gladdie pointed to his chest. “But I demand an apology.”
“Sure. Have it your way,” Archie said. “I’m sorry. There—is that enough?”
Gladdie looked as shocked as Drusie felt. “That was easy,” Gladdie said.
“Too easy,” Drusie said.
“Okay, I admit it. Your innocence was proven for you. June is missing her earrings. And I know one thing, if anybody had reason for taking her stuff, it was you. Or Clara, and she had plenty of people stand up for her saying she couldn’t have taken them.”
“That’s a relief. I’d hate for Clara to be accused of wrongdoin’, especially with me gone.” Drusie knew how much Archie wanted Clara on the tour at any cost, but she refrained from expressing the sentiment.
Archie nodded and elaborated. “June was wearing them when you left, and they disappeared last night after the show.” In an uncharacteristic motion, he stared at his wing-tipped shoes and shuffled his feet. “Truth be told, I knew you didn’t take anything, Gladdie. I was just so steaming mad about everything that’s happened that all I could see was red. I was looking for an excuse to throw you out, and I took it.” He looked back at Gladdie. “So I guess I should say I’m sorry I flew off the handle last night. I do want you back in the band.” He extended his hand. “Deal?”
Gladdie accepted his hand. “Deal. But if I’m ever accused of wrongdoin’ again, I expect you to take up for me.”
“Will do.”
One of the men to whom Archie had been speaking interrupted. “Mr. Gordon, we’re ready.”
“Okay, go ahead.” Archie introduced the men to Gladdie and Drusie as a duo, the Rustling Rangers.
The taller of the two stared at Drusie and snapped his fingers. “Hey! Aren’t you one of the NC Mountain Girls?”
“Drusie Fields.” She extended her hand, which the man accepted.
“Bill Richards, ma’am.” He tipped his cowboy hat. “And this here’s my partner and brother, Milton.”
“Nice to meet you both.”
“Uh, are you going to listen to us play?”
“I’d like to.”
Milton let
out a whistle. “I didn’t know a celebrity would be listening to us audition.” Milton and Drusie shook hands. “Now I think I might be a little nervous.”
Drusie laughed. “I’m nothin’ much. I’m just a mountain girl who loves singin’ and listenin’ to good music just like anybody else.”
Gladdie watched the exchange as he hovered in the back-ground. The longer Drusie stayed a celebrity, the more he became accustomed to being shunted aside while Drusie accepted accolades. He was glad God hadn’t made him a proud man. His pa never would have let his ma take over like that.
“Okay, enough booshwashing,” Archie prodded. “I don’t have all day. I’ve got a show to put on. Let’s hear you.”
“Sure thing.” Bill nodded to his partner, and the Rustling Rangers struck a few chords of an old mountain hymn. Even though the playing caused the people in the sanctuary to stop and listen, their expressions approving, the men had sung only half a verse before Archie stopped them.
“What else have you got?”
Both men stopped playing mid-note and shook a bit. Bill was the first to regain his composure. “We got plenty.” He mumbled something to Milton, and they began a song Gladdie had never heard with a melody that possessed a bluegrass feel. Archie let them sing up to the chorus before getting them to move on to the next tune. The dance went on through several songs, including two hymns. Through it all, Archie didn’t show any reaction.
“Well?” Bill asked, clutching his fiddle as though it might break if Archie’s opinion wasn’t favorable.
Archie looked at Drusie and Gladdie. “What do y’all think?”
“I think they’re good,” Drusie said. “Better than good—I think they’re grand.”
“Good enough to cut a record?”
“More than good enough.”
Archie looked at the men, whose faces had relaxed with relief. “Are you from around these parts?”
“No. We’re from Clarksville, Virginia. We drove to Raleigh to see you, but the studio was shut tight as a drum,” Bill explained. “We waited until the next day, and then finally one of your men, Harry, opened up shop. He listened to us and said we were good, but he couldn’t help us. You had to make the decision. But he said you were on the road and wouldn’t be back for a spell. He told us you’d be here tonight. I don’t ’spect he thought we’d drive all this way to find you, but we did. I appreciate you for giving us a chance like this, Mr. Gordon.”
“Persistence can often outweigh talent, although you’ve got plenty of both,” Archie said. “If you had said this was your hometown, I’d have guessed that everyone would be rooting for you strong. But since no one around here knows you—that’s right, isn’t it? No one knows you?”
“That’s right.”
“Well, I see you went to a lot of trouble to secure an audition with me,” Archie said, “and that means a lot. That shows me that you have the determination to make it in this business. So I have a proposition for you. Will you play a few gospel songs before the NC Mountain Girls go on tonight and see how you do with the audience? If they like you, I’d be leaning toward offering you a chance to record.”
“We’ll take that chance, Mr. Gordon!” Bill exclaimed. “Thank you mightily. We appreciate it an awful lot.”
“That’s fine. You two fellows go ahead and practice. Showtime’s at eight sharp. I don’t like to keep my audience waiting.”
“Yes, sir, Mr. Gordon. We won’t keep them waiting. No, sir.” The men hurried out of the sanctuary.
“Looks like you’ve made someone else’s dreams come true,” Drusie remarked.
“That’s what I do. I make dreams come true.” Archie’s smile bespoke the smugness of control.
“You will let them make a record if the audience likes them, won’t you, Archie?” Gladdie asked.
“Of course I will. They don’t realize it, but I’d give them a contract anyway. I figured I might as well give the audience a bonus. Publicity will do everyone good.” Archie winked. “Now you better get hopping, Drusie, and get that dress on. Your blue one, since this is a church. Showtime will be here before you know it.”
Drusie found Clara in the dressing room, standing in front of the mirror, making sure every hair was in place. “Clara?”
She spun to face Drusie and put her hand on her chest. “Don’t scare me like that!” Her eyes widened. “What are you doin’ here?”
“I’m here to fulfill my contract. Is that okay with you?”
“Okay? It’s better than okay!” Clara ran toward her for a hug. “I’m so glad you came back. Don’t you ever leave me again without sayin’ somethin’ first. So what happened?”
Drusie shared the story of her adventure.
“That’s really somethin’.” Clara shook her head. “I’m so glad you’re safe and sound and back here where you belong.”
The sisters embraced once again, and Drusie’s heart felt warmer.
❧
Archie proved to be right. Time did fly, and the show went even better than they expected. For churches, Archie always suspended his usual rule of advance payment, opting for donations. As promised, a love offering was taken, and Gladdie helped man the booth where they sold copies of their recordings.
Drusie came up to them after signing autographs.
“How did you like that? All those people loving you?” Archie asked.
“I always enjoy when people like my music.”
“Keen. We’re just getting started making real money.” Archie rubbed his palms together. “This is going to be some kind of take tonight.”
Gladdie interrupted. “I don’t know. These people probably don’t have a lot of money. I just hope they enjoyed the music.”
“That’s why you’re not a businessman, Gladdie. You have no acumen for money.”
“Whatever you say, Archie.”
The promoter tapped Archie on the shoulder. “Boss, I’ve got to speak with you.”
Gladdie didn’t like the look on his face, and judging from Archie’s concerned expression, he didn’t, either.
“What’s the matter, Earl?”
“The love offering. It’s gone. All of it.”
Fifteen
Stunned by the news of the missing money, Drusie, along with everyone else, looked at Archie. He looked even more shocked than when they found the burned dress.
“What do you mean, the love offering’s gone? That just can’t be,” Archie said.
“It can be, and it is. I’m sorry.” The deacon’s voice was low in volume.
Drusie glanced at Gladdie, who stood beside her. Upset, she instinctively reached for him. He clasped her hand in his and squeezed it in a way that gave her comfort.
Archie wasn’t so easy to console. “Did anybody ask the head deacon about this?”
“Yes, and he said he gave the money to a brown-haired woman who said she was with you.”
Drusie couldn’t help but pounce on the description. “Was she wearin’ fur?”
“Fur? Not at the time, no.”
“Oh.” Drusie felt a little foolish.
“But she did have on a red dress that looked like somethin’ you’d wear to a nightclub instead of a church, and she was tall.”
“That sounds like her,” Gladdie mumbled.
“Sounds like who?” Archie asked.
“The woman who’s always around Elmer.”
Archie groaned. “I hate to say it, but that does sound like her. But we can’t be sure. I sure hope it’s not her. Elmer’s been with me a long time. I trust him like a brother. I’d hate to think he’s gotten himself dizzy with a dame that isn’t walking the straight and narrow.” He snapped his fingers. “Maybe somebody in the audience took it. Yeah, that’s it.”
“I’d like to think a stranger made off with the money, but I doubt it. Remember, we did put on a gospel concert tonight, and I imagine we attracted mainly church people,” Gladdie said. “Besides, I didn’t see nobody actin’ suspicious anytime after the offerin’ was taken.
”
“And even if we could question anybody,” Archie pointed out, “they’ve all gone home now. We’d never find them.”
One of the older deacons approached. “I’m really sorry this happened, Mr. Gordon. I’m embarrassed that something like this could happen at our church. We have gospel groups singing here all the time, and this is the first time this has happened.”
“I believe you. But can you help us? Can you describe the woman you gave the money to, other than the fact she was tall, wearing a fancy red dress, and had brown hair?”
He thought for a moment. “Well, I can tell you that as soon as she took the money, she stuffed it in her purse and put on a fur coat.”
“A long, dark fur?” Archie’s voice rang with defeat.
He nodded. “It was the only fur I saw here tonight. She stuck out like a sore thumb, because most of the people around these parts can’t afford such luxury. I’m sorry, Mr. Gordon. I guess I should have asked more questions,” the deacon apologized. “But I mean, she was dressed so nice, like a motion picture star, and wearing that fur and all. She acted like she was in charge, so I assumed she was since she said she was with the band. Why, I thought maybe she might have been your wife.”
“It’s not your fault. We’ll get the money as soon as the band member she hangs out with shows up. I’m sure it’s all a mistake. He’ll set things right,” Archie answered.
“Hey, I heard the money’s missing,” one of the stagehands complained, approaching from behind. “If this keeps on, I’ll be going in the hole working for you, Arch.”
Mutters of discontent rippled through the tour members.
Archie waved his hands in a soothing motion. “Hold on. We’ll get our money back as soon as we find Elmer. Go on now and let’s get the gang together, and then we can all get paid and sleep better tonight.”
“I hope so,” June sniped.
Soon the band members were gathered, except for one.
“Where’s Elmer?” Gladdie asked.
“I don’t know. I couldn’t find him,” Archie admitted.
“I don’t know where he is, either,” Gladdie said. “I hollered into the men’s dressing room, and I thought everyone would show up like usual. I don’t know why he wouldn’t.”
Music Of Home Page 14
