Bridge to Cutter Gap / Silent Superstitions / The Angry Intruder
Page 25
“Well, if’n you want the whole truth—” Wraight’s voice was harsh, “some days it makes me want to burn that whole school right to the ground.”
Christy nodded. “Sometimes fear makes a person do things he doesn’t want to do,” she said. “Things he knows are wrong.”
Wraight pushed down a key with his index finger and listened. “I reckon,” he finally said.
“Lizette tells me you’re quite a dulcimer player,” Christy said.
“Don’t have no dulcimer no more.”
“I never could play the piano very well,” Christy said. “I took lessons growing up, but no matter how hard I tried, my fingers just couldn’t keep up with the notes.” She laughed softly. “One year, when I was eight, we had a recital. All the parents came to hear us. It seemed to me like all of Asheville, North Carolina, was there. Well, my teacher wanted me to play something simple—you know, like ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.’ You’ve heard that, haven’t you?”
Christy plunked out the first few notes of the song, and Wraight nodded.
“But of course, I had other things on my mind. I wanted to impress everyone with my incredible talent. So I decided to play one of my favorite hymns—‘What a Friend We Have in Jesus.’”
This time she played the first notes of the hymn. Wraight watched her fingers, fascinated.
“Well, needless to say, I got up there to play, and I froze. I played about three notes, looked out at all those faces in the audience, and the fear just took over.”
“What happened then?” Wraight asked.
“I’m very embarrassed to report that I threw up all over my piano teacher’s favorite rug.”
Wraight burst out laughing. “Miz Christy, that is the saddest tale I ever did hear! You wouldn’t tell me a whopper, now, would you?”
“Cross my heart. It’s the truth. And the really sad thing is that I stopped taking lessons after that. I was so afraid of failing that I just gave up. I’ve always regretted it.” She sighed. “Now it seems like I can hardly get a note out of this piano.”
“Try,” Wraight said softly. His voice was almost pleading.
Christy cleared her throat. “Well, here goes nothing.”
Slowly and painfully, she began to play “What a Friend We Have in Jesus.” All too often, she hit a wrong note that made her wince, but she kept going because Wraight seemed to want her to. He was watching her fingers as if he were in a trance.
Halfway through, she struggled again and again with the same chord, but she simply couldn’t find the right note.
“Maybe that’s enough. I don’t want to ruin your hearing,” she said. “I’m sorry. I just can’t seem to get it right.”
“Could I . . . could I give it a whirl?” Wraight whispered.
Christy slid off the bench. “Be my guest.”
Wraight stared at the keys, deep in concentration. He arranged his fingers carefully, then pressed them all down at once.
The first chord of the old gospel hymn rang out. Wraight closed his eyes as if he’d witnessed a miracle. Then, slowly and with great care, he began to play the same piece Christy had struggled through. He only missed a few notes.
Christy watched in amazement. She felt the way she had when she was teaching Fairlight Spencer to read—as if all she’d had to do was open a door, and send Wraight on his way.
She thought of all the times she’d been frustrated with Wraight, and with the other slow learners in her class. How wrong she’d been about him! Perhaps different students learned in different ways. It was her job to find the door that would allow each one into the place where Wraight had just ventured.
When he was done, she applauded. “That was amazing, Wraight. Absolutely amazing.”
“Ain’t nothin’. You just sound ’em out, one at a time. Low notes are down at that end. High ones up yonder.” He shrugged. “It’s easy enough.”
“Tell that to my old piano teacher.” Christy laughed. “You have a real gift, Wraight. I was wondering . . . if I could locate some piano instruction books, how would you like to come over to the mission house after school and practice? I could teach you what I know, which isn’t much. But then you’d be pretty much on your own.”
To her shock, Wraight shook his head firmly. “Can’t,” was all he said.
“But I thought you’d . . .” Once again, Miss Alice’s words about the donations came back to her. There’s a strong mountain code, you see. No one wants to owe anyone for anything. These people don’t respect anyone who can’t earn his own way.
“Wraight,” Christy said, “suppose you did odd jobs around the mission to pay for your lessons? It would be a way to pay us back for the damage to the piano, too. We’ll need to replace that wire. I know David’s got a lot of work around here left to do. He wants to build a better barn for Goldie and Prince and Old Theo, to start with. And one of these days, he may have a telephone he needs help hooking up.”
Wraight scratched his chin. “So it’d be fair and square-like? I’d be working for the time I spent on the piano?”
“Fair and square.”
“I s’pose I could manage that,” he said casually, but Christy could see the excitement in his eyes.
“Good. It’s a deal, then. And Wraight?”
“Yes’m?”
“If you feel angry like that again, will you come to me and talk about it?”
“No’m.”
Christy sighed. “But why not?”
“Don’t need to talk with you, if’n I got this here piano to talk to.” He looked up at her hopefully. “You reckon I could play real quiet-like for another minute or two? I was hopin’ maybe I could practice up to play for Lizette.”
“I have an even better idea,” Christy said.
“Wait here.”
She went upstairs. Zach was asleep on the landing. Ruby Mae and Bessie had gone back to bed. But Lizette was sitting on the top step, wide awake.
“Have you been listening?” Christy asked.
“Oh, no, Miz Christy. I ain’t no eavesdropper.” “Of course, you might have accidently overheard a thing or two.”
Lizette gave a sheepish grin. “Well, maybe just a wee bit.”
“If you’re in the mood for a concert,” Christy said, “I happen to know a fine piano player who’s in the mood to give one.”
Lizette ran down the stairs. A moment later, Christy heard the slow, careful strains of “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” coming from the parlor. There were a few missed notes and some awkward pauses, but she’d never heard the old hymn played with more love.
About the Author
Catherine Marshall
With Christy, Catherine Marshall LeSourd (1914–1983) created one of the world’s most widely read and best-loved classics. Published in 1967, the book spent 39 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. With an estimated 30 million Americans having read it, Christy is now approaching its 90th printing and has sold over eight million copies. Although a novel, Christy is in fact a thinly-veiled biography of Catherine’s mother, Leonora Wood.
Catherine Marshall LeSourd also authored A Man Called Peter, which has sold over four million copies. It is an American bestseller, portraying the love between a dynamic man and his God, and the tender, romantic love between a man and the girl he married. Julie is a powerful, sweeping novel of love and adventure, courage and commitment, tragedy and triumph, in a Pennsylvania town during the Great Depression. Catherine also authored many other devotional books of encouragement.
THE CHRISTY ® JUVENILE FICTION SERIES
You’ll want to read them all!
Based upon Catherine Marshall’s international bestseller Christy ®, this new series contains expanded adventures filled with romance, intrigue, and excitement.
VOLUME ONE
(ISBN 1-4003-0772-4)
#1—The Bridge to Cutter Gap
Nineteen-year-old Christy leaves her family to teach at a mission school in the Great Smoky Mountains. On the other side of an
icy bridge lie excitement, adventure, and maybe even the man of her dreams . . . but can she survive a life-and-death struggle when she falls into the rushing waters below?
#2—Silent Superstitions
Christy’s students are suddenly afraid to come to school. Is what Granny O’Teale says true? Is their teacher cursed? Will the children’s fears and the adults’ superstitions force Christy to abandon her dreams and return to North Carolina?
#3—The Angry Intruder
Someone wants Christy to leave Cutter Gap, and they’ll stop at nothing. Mysterious pranks soon turn dangerous. Could a student be the culprit? When Christy confronts the late-night intruder, will it be a face she knows?
VOLUME TWO
(ISBN 1-4003-0773-2)
#4—Midnight Rescue
The mission’s black stallion, Prince, has vanished, and so has Christy’s student Ruby Mae. Christy must brave the guns of angry moonshiners to bring them home. Will her faith in God see her through her darkest night?
#5—The Proposal
Christy should be thrilled when David Grantland, the handsome minister, proposes marriage, but her feelings of excitement are mixed with confusion and uncertainty. Several untimely interruptions delay her answer to David’s proposal. Then a terrible riding accident and blindness threaten all of Christy’s dreams for the future.
#6—Christy’s Choice
When Christy is offered a chance to teach in her hometown, she faces a difficult decision. Will her train ride back to Cutter Gap be a journey home or a last farewell? In a moment of terror and danger, Christy must decide where her future lies.
VOLUME THREE
(ISBN 1-4003-0774-0)
#7—The Princess Club
When Ruby Mae, Bessie, and Clara discover gold at Cutter Gap, they form an exclusive organization, “The Princess Club.” Christy watches in dismay as her classroom—and her community—are torn apart by greed, envy, and an understanding of what true wealth really means.
#8—Family Secrets
Bob Allen and many of the residents of Cutter Gap are upset when a black family, the Washingtons, moves in near the Allens’ property. When a series of threatening incidents befall the Washingtons, Christy steps in to help. But it’s a clue in the Washingtons’ family Bible that may hold the real key to peace and acceptance.
#9—Mountain Madness
When Christy travels alone to a nearby mountain, she vows to discover the truth behind the terrifying legend of a strange mountain creature. But what she finds, at first seems worse than she ever imagined!
VOLUME FOUR
(ISBN 1-4003-0775-9)
#10—Stage Fright
As Christy’s students are preparing for a school play, she reveals her dream to act on stage herself. Little does she know that Doctor MacNeill’s aunt is the artistic director of the Knoxville theater. Before long, just as Christy is about to debut on stage, several mysterious incidents threaten both her dreams and her pride!
#11—Goodbye, Sweet Prince
Prince, the mission’s stallion, is sold to a cruel owner, then disappears. Christy Huddleston and her students are heartsick. Is there any way to reclaim the magnificent horse?
#12—Brotherly Love
Everyone is delighted when Christy’s younger brother, George Huddleston, visits Christy at the Cutter Gap Mission. But the delight ends when George reveals that he has been expelled from school for stealing. Can Christy summon the love and faith to help her brother do the right thing?