Wonderland Creek

by Lynn Austin

  I stood and stretched while Mack wrapped up the baby again. I was warm and dry and reluctant to venture outside. I enjoyed Mack’s company and felt comfortable conversing with him. But Feather wouldn’t be content much longer.

  “What if Maggie refuses? Should I take the baby to Miss Lillie, then?”

  “Don’t give Maggie a choice. Just hand the baby to her the way June Ann handed her to you.”

  That sounded like a terrible idea. Maggie already took care of her ailing mother-in-law, and it didn’t seem right to add to her burden without asking. But what other choice did I have? I reached for Belle’s reins.

  “Okay, Belle. Time to get going.” I pulled her through the door and climbed onto the railing and into the saddle. Mack kissed the baby’s forehead before handing her up to me. “Take care,” he said. “Let me know how everything goes.”

  Belle tried to head home, but I took charge for once, making her do what I wanted. We rode to Maggie’s house, and when we reached the clearing in front of her cabin, I called out to her. She came to her door.

  “You’re early today, Allie. I wasn’t expecting you until this afternoon.”

  “I know. There’s been a crisis and I’ve ended up with June Ann’s baby. Can you take her so I can dismount?”

  “Sure.” She hurried over to Belle’s side, and I handed the baby down to her. Maggie parted the feed sack cover and looked at Feather, then up at me again.

  “You look chilled, Allie. Why don’t you come in and warm up?”

  I tied Belle to the hitching post and went inside where Maggie had a warm fire in the stove and fragrant bread baking in the oven. I quickly explained how June Ann had thrust Feather into my arms on my way up the creek. I left Mack out of the story.

  “June Ann asked me to take her to Miss Lillie, but Lillie hasn’t been feeling well, so I wondered if you would take her instead. Lillie’s too old to take care of such a tiny baby, and I don’t know anything about infants. You have a cow and some goats, so I know you could at least give her milk to drink. We don’t have a cow, and I don’t know where on earth to buy milk—”

  I stopped, aware that I was babbling. But what if Maggie refused? What if I got stuck caring for an infant along with all the other endless tasks I already had? Even if someone loaned Miss Lillie a cow or a goat, I had no idea how to milk an animal, nor did I want to learn. Too late I realized I should have listened to Mack and not given Maggie a choice. “Please take care of her for me, Maggie. Please?”

  “I’m the wrong person to ask. There must be someone else.”

  “Everyone I know is either a Larkin or an Arnett, and neither family will help. Please? I don’t know what else to do with her or who else to ask.”

  “She’s so pretty. How old is she?”

  “She was born about a month ago.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Feather . . . Maggie, I’m begging you.”

  “Well . . . I guess I could watch her until you find June Ann. Someone is out searching for her, right?”

  “I don’t know who to send or where to search. June Ann knows these woods a lot better than I do. She could hide for days.”

  “She’d better be careful, especially at night. I’m still seeing signs of that wildcat all over this area.”

  “June Ann knows about the wildcat. She loves her baby, Maggie. She’ll come back for her soon, I know she will.”

  I watched Maggie and Feather as they gazed at each other. Maggie couldn’t help smiling. I nearly sighed aloud with relief, then edged toward the door.

  “I need to leave. Thanks so much, Maggie.”

  The morning’s ordeal wore me out. By the time I left Maggie and Feather and climbed onto Belle, I simply wanted to go home. Nobody on my route was going to get books today. I stopped at June Ann’s cabin on the way home and called out to her, but she didn’t reply. I wasn’t surprised. I dismounted and sat on her porch to wait, but when it began to rain again, I finally gave up. I wrote her a note on a scrap of newspaper, telling her that Feather was with Maggie Coots, then I left the note on her table and rode back to Mack’s cabin.

  “Maggie agreed to take the baby,” I told him when he came to the door. “I’m heading home now.” I didn’t even dismount. The rain had made Belle as eager to get home as I was. We were both cold and wet.

  Belle went straight into her shed, where I removed her saddle and dried her off with an empty feed sack.

  I trudged up the stairs to my bedroom to change my clothes. Lillie called to me as I passed her room. “You’re home early today, honey. Did the thunder scare you off?”

  “No, it wasn’t the storm.” I sagged onto the chair beside her bed and told her the entire story, beginning with June Ann waylaying me in the middle of the thunderstorm, and ending with Mack’s suggestion that I take the baby to Maggie Coots. “Fortunately, Maggie agreed to take her for now, but I think we should contact June Ann’s family. If you’ll tell me where to find her parents, I’ll go talk to them and explain what happened. Maybe this crisis will finally bring the feuding families together.”

  “You don’t need June Ann’s folks. Maggie Coots will take good care of that little baby.”

  “But Maggie also has her mother-in-law to care for, and Opal Coots is bedridden.”

  “That don’t matter. That baby’s gonna save Maggie’s life.”

  “Save her life? What do you mean? How?”

  “The same way that Mack saved mine. That must be why the Good Lord sent that little baby here in the first place, and why He made her so fussy all the time, and why my tonic don’t work. He wants to keep Maggie here until she settles accounts with Him, don’t you see?”

  I shook my head, bewildered. “No. I don’t see anything.”

  “Maggie came down here to work for God, but that’s not what He’s wanting her to do.”

  “It isn’t? I thought we’re all supposed to work for God.”

  “He wants us to work with Him, honey. Not for Him.”

  I closed my eyes and rubbed them. “I’m so confused. What does working with God have to do with June Ann’s baby and with saving Maggie’s life and . . . and with Mack saving yours?”

  She leaned against the pillow and sighed. “I had hundreds of children. All the babies I brought into this world are my children. I even watched some grow up and have babies of their own. But Mack is special to me. Raising him made up for the two children I lost, and for all them other hard things I went through. God gave Mack to me so I would keep on living. I got to see him grow up, take his first steps, learn to talk. I taught him how to read, and I made sure he had plenty of books. I kept my promise to his mama, and Mack went to college instead of working in the mine.”

  “He’s a good man, Lillie. You raised him well.”

  “I know my time to leave this old world is coming real soon. If I can just see Mack settled, with his book all finished and a good wife by his side, then I can leave here in peace. I been hanging on just so he won’t be all alone in the world.”

  “Has he found a wife?”

  “Oh, yes. The Good Lord has found the perfect wife for Mack.”

  I thought of the letter he’d addressed to Miss Catherine Anson in Washington, and when I pictured Mack rocking baby Feather in his arms, I felt envious.

  “Well, good. He’ll make a good husband and father. But there’s still a lot I don’t understand, Lillie. Why would God go to all the trouble of arranging these complicated schemes—killing Mack’s mother and making baby Feather have colic? It seems crazy. And why take Maggie’s husband and child from her? Why did He make you suffer by taking Buster and Sam and your little daughter away from you?”

  Lillie sighed. “I been around a long time, honey, and I seen a lot a things that don’t make sense to us. Life is full of troubles, but this one with June Ann’s baby will all work out for good. You’ll see.”

  “I still think that if we talked to the Arnetts and the Larkins about Feather, maybe we could end the feud. Both
sides need to see all the harm they’ve caused, and they need to start taking care of Feather and June Ann.”

  “Let it go, honey. That ain’t gonna happen.”

  “How can you be so sure?”

  “I quit trying to figure everything out a long time ago and learned to trust God to work it all out.”

  “But I want to do something!”

  “Well, then, why don’t you go fix us something to eat. It’s past lunchtime, ain’t it?”

  “You know what I mean, Lillie. I want to do something important.”

  “It’s the little things that make all the difference in the world. The kind words we speak and the simple things we do for people. Remember how that Ike fella helped you work in the garden? Now, he’d say it was just a little thing, but the Good Lord is gonna bless his labor with food for months and months to come.”

  “Is that what you meant by working with God, not for Him?”

  “That’s exactly right. See? You learnt something. Now,” she said with a grin, “go work with God and fix us some lunch.”

  I went to my bedroom first, to change my clothes and dry off. I tried to make sense of what Lillie said as I stoked the kitchen stove and heated the leftover stew for us. After becoming so involved in the lives of people in Acorn, it was hard to let go and trust God. I wanted to fix everything. But when Mack had tried to do that, he’d only made things worse.

  I had one more question to ask Lillie as I laid the lunch tray on her lap. “Where did Mack learn how to take care of a baby? You should have seen him today, holding little Feather on his lap, singing to her, rocking her to sleep.” Her answer surprised me.

  “Honey, as far as I know, Mack don’t know a single thing about babies.”

  Early Friday morning, Ike came into the library to say good-bye to me. He could barely stand still from excitement.

  “Well, I’m off! My brother’s gonna drive me to the train station over in Hazard, and I’ll meet up with the new band in Lexington. My fingers are itching to play, Alice. I can’t wait to get going.”

  “I can see that.”

  “This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me. If it works out, I’ll be on my way to Nashville for sure!”

  Ike was thrilled about what lay ahead, and although he swore he would miss me, I could see that he was eager to be on his way. I didn’t want to delay him with a long farewell. “Write to me and let me know how you make out, okay?”

  “I will.” He hugged me tightly, but his kiss was quick and impatient. Then he was gone.

  I knew I would miss him, yet as soon as the truck roared off, I felt as relieved as I had after the thunderstorm had blown over and the rain had stopped. Maybe now I could concentrate on my work in the library and type up more of Lillie’s folk medicine book without any distractions. But as hard as I tried, I couldn’t settle down and stop worrying about June Ann and Maggie and Feather. I needed to find out how they were doing. I decided to ride my route, even though today was Friday, and deliver books to the people I had neglected yesterday.

  I stopped at June Ann’s cabin on the way up the mountain. Her dog came out and barked at me, but June Ann didn’t appear. The farm was obviously being tended. Her mule was out in the pasture, her chickens were scratching around the yard, and her garden looked weeded and hoed. I dismounted and went inside the cabin, calling her name. A fire burned in her fireplace, and the newspaper with my note was no longer on the table. In its place lay the book that I had brought her the last time I had come. I waited, hoping she would come out and talk to me, but she never did. I took the old book and left a new one for her. At least I knew she was safe.

  I brought books to the Howard family, then stopped at the school, letting everyone think the storm had delayed me yesterday. Finally, I went to see Maggie.

  “Come on in, Allie,” she called from her doorway. I dismounted and went inside. The house was as peaceful and fragrant as always. Maggie stood by the stove, stirring something in a big soup pot.

  “How are you?” I asked. “I’ve been thinking about you and the baby all night, so I decided to come and see how you’re doing.”

  “We’re fine. Have a seat.” I removed my jacket and sat down at her kitchen table. Maggie poured me a cup of tea.

  “Has Feather been eating okay?”

  “Yes. She didn’t like the goat’s milk at first, but when she got hungry enough, she finally drank it. She cries a lot, Allie. I think she has colic. I’ve been feeding her several smaller meals instead of a bigger one and it seems to help. Have you found June Ann?”

  “No. I stopped at her cabin on the way up here. I could tell she’s been home, but she won’t come out of hiding and talk to me. I wrote her a note yesterday, telling her that you were taking care of Feather, and today the note was gone. Where is Feather, by the way?”

  Maggie gestured to the bedroom. “She’s in with Miss Opal, sleeping.”

  “How is your mother-in-law?”

  “Not good.” Maggie sank onto a chair across from me with a sigh. “It’s so strange to be taking care of the two of them at the same time. They’re at the opposite ends of life; they both eat and sleep, but one is growing stronger, the other one weaker. My instinct is to nurture Opal and make her well again, just like I’m nurturing Feather. But there’s nothing I can do for Opal. She’s dying, Allie, and she knows it. She told me that she’s ready to go. I don’t know if I could be as brave as she is.”

  “I hope it’s not too much work for you with the baby, too?”

  “Not at all. I lay them side by side in the big bed, and they seem to draw comfort from each other. Miss Opal loves that baby. She talks to her when they’re both awake and sings her to sleep when she cries. But she keeps calling her Rhoda Lee. I corrected her at first. But really, what difference does it make?”

  Maggie didn’t seem at all perturbed by her new responsibility. I realized it would be much harder for her to watch Miss Opal die if she didn’t have Feather to care for, and I remembered Lillie’s prophecy that the baby would save Maggie’s life.

  “Is there anything I can do to help you?” I asked as I stood to leave.

  “Did you bring me another book?”

  “I did. It’s one of the new ones that I brought with me from Illinois. Wow, it seems like ages ago that I boxed up those books and climbed into my uncle’s car.”

  “Today is the first day of May already. ”

  I looked at Maggie in surprise. I had lost track of the days and months. I was becoming like these mountain folks, who seemed perfectly content to ignore the passing of time. Mack had asked me to give him another month to finish his work, and surely the time must be up by now—wasn’t it? It didn’t matter. I couldn’t leave now. I had grown much too fond of Maggie and June Ann and Feather. And I no longer took care of Miss Lillie and Mack out of duty, but because I cared about them. I would write another letter to my parents tonight, explaining that I would be further delayed.

  The following week, riding my routes took longer than usual because I stopped at June Ann’s cabin on both days, and took time to see Maggie and Feather on both days, as well. In between, I stayed busy with my library work and with typing Lillie’s recipes and with all the hard work of running the household. I barely had time to think of Ike, let alone miss him. Was Lillie’s love potion wearing off?

  Being apart from Ike gave me time to think clearly about him without the distraction of his handsome face and cheerful personality. What had attracted me to him, besides his good nature and wonderful fiddle playing and heart-stopping kisses? Did we really have anything in common? And was it enough for us to spend a lifetime together? Maybe Ike would change his mind about me, too, while we were apart. He’d told me that women were drawn to him whenever they heard him play. If they started falling at his feet again, he might forget all about me. I watched for the promised letter from him, but it never came.

  Belle and I were on our way back home to the library after delivering books on Thursday afternoon whe
n Mack flagged us down in front of his cabin. “Do you have time for a visit?” he asked. “I want to tell you something. And I have a favor to ask.” I would have been concerned except that he looked happier than I’d ever seen him. I knew it must be good news. I climbed down and we sat side by side on his front porch.

  “It’s finished,” he said quietly. “My manuscript is finished. Done. The end.”

  “Mack, that’s wonderful!” I gave him a quick, spontaneous hug. What must it feel like to accomplish such a task? I had read hundreds of novels in my lifetime, but I had never thought about how an author must feel when he wrote The End. If it was satisfying to finish reading a good book, how much more satisfying must it be to finish writing one? “Now what?” I asked him.

  “Now I give it to my publisher.”

  “Do you want me to take it home with me and mail it for you? I assume that’s the favor?”

  “No. My manuscript was stolen from Lillie’s house once before, remember? Besides, those nosy old geezers at the post office are going to wonder what you’re mailing. They’ll open up the package to look inside, I guarantee it.”

  “Isn’t it against the law to tamper with the mail?”

  “Of course it is. But making moonshine is against the law, too, and that doesn’t stop anybody around here.”

  “How will you get your book to your publisher then?”

  “I’ve given it a lot of thought and I’ve decided to deliver it in person. While I’m gone, I’ll bring the information about Hank’s accident to Washington. I have the evidence all compiled except for one crucial piece of information that’s still missing. That’s where the favor comes in. Moon or no moon, we need to go back to the mine.”

  “We? Oh no. Absolutely not.”

  “It’ll be the same arrangement as last time, Alice. All I need is for you to ride up here with Belle. You can stay here at the cabin or come with me, it’s your choice.”

  “Why do you have to go back there?”

  “I need to go inside the mine and see where Hank’s accident happened. Something doesn’t add up. According to the documents we found and Ike Arnett’s account, the accident didn’t take place in the same shaft where they were mining coal.”