Stage Fright / Goodbye, Sweet Prince / Brotherly Love

by Catherine Marshall

  He stared at them, blinked, then let out a loud snort.

  Christy laughed. For a horse, it was a perfectly polite response. “I think Prince wonders what the fuss is all about,” she said.

  Christy was sitting on the rail fence that enclosed the black stallion’s pasture. Her entire class—all seventy students—had gathered there to celebrate Prince’s birthday.

  The class was supposed to be studying geography this afternoon. But Christy had decided that the children deserved this special treat. Lately, Cutter Gap had fallen on particularly hard times. It was nice to have a reason to celebrate something—even if it was just the birthday of a horse.

  Of course, Prince wasn’t just any horse. The magnificent stallion had somehow managed to cast a magic spell over her students. The shy ones grew braver around Prince. The clumsy ones grew confident as they trotted around the pasture on his broad back. And the troublemakers actually seemed to grow calmer. Even Lundy Taylor, the worst bully in the school, acted like a different person around Prince.

  Ruby Mae Morrison stepped forward and cleared her throat. “It’s time for the presentgivin’,” she announced.

  Quickly, the children fell silent. They’d been planning this for weeks. Ruby Mae, who was thirteen, had been chosen to present Prince’s gifts. Although he belonged to the mission, it was Ruby Mae, more than anyone else, who cared for Prince. With the help of the mission minister, David Grantland, she fed Prince, groomed him, and exercised him every day. She was also the most accomplished rider of all the children.

  “Before we start,” Ruby Mae announced, “I have to tell the truth. We don’t rightly know for sure and certain that today is Prince’s birthday.” Gently, she scratched the stallion’s nose. “Since he was a present to the mission, nobody exactly knows when he was born, ’ceptin’ that he’s about three years old. But I took a vote, and we figured today would be a fine day to have a birthday.”

  Bessie Coburn, one of Ruby Mae’s best friends, elbowed Ruby Mae in the ribs. “The presents, Ruby Mae! Get to the presents!”

  “All right, then. First off, the necklace!”

  Hannah Washington and Della May Allen paraded over solemnly, carrying a large round garland. It was made of woven twigs, flowers, and berries. Carefully, they placed it around Prince’s glossy neck.

  “He’s eatin’ the berries!” Hannah exclaimed. “He likes it!”

  Everyone laughed. It was a nice moment, one that Christy had feared she would never see when Hannah’s family, the descendants of slaves, had first come to this isolated mountain cove. Her dark skin had set her apart, and it had broken Christy’s heart to see the ignorance and prejudice Hannah and her family had endured.

  But Hannah had persevered, and Prince had done his part to help her. Like Ruby Mae, Hannah was a gifted rider. By offering to teach several of the children what she knew about riding, she’d found a way to reach them and to make some real friends.

  “And now,” Ruby Mae continued, “for the next present!”

  Mountie O’Teale stepped up to Prince’s side. She was a small girl for her ten years, shy and self-conscious around strangers because of a lingering speech problem. Still, whenever Mountie was around Prince, she blossomed. Her speech flowed, and her smiles came quickly.

  “This is for you, Prince,” Mountie announced in a clear voice, rich with the mountain accent Christy never tired of hearing. “It’s for keepin’ you warm on winter nights. And we all put in a bit of it.”

  Mountie held out the precious gift—a horse blanket sewn together like a patchwork quilt. With Ruby Mae’s help, she placed the blanket over Prince’s back.

  As Mountie adjusted the blanket, Christy’s eyes filled with tears. A square of fabric was missing from the sleeve of Mountie’s worn, tattered dress. The other children had similar missing patches, since they’d each donated a piece of fabric for the quilt.

  “It’s beautiful, children,” Christy said softly. “Prince is a very lucky fellow.”

  The blanket had been the children’s idea. Christy had resisted the notion at first, knowing how little they could afford to sacrifice— even a square inch of clothing. As it was, most of the children were shoeless year- round, and they all wore hand-me-downs or donations from churches. To cut into those precious clothes for a horse’s birthday present? As much as Christy understood their desire to give, she just didn’t think it was a sacrifice they could afford to make.

  But one evening, Miss Alice Henderson, the woman who had helped found the mission, had taken Christy aside. “‘It is more blessed to give than to receive,’” she’d told Christy. “Perhaps this is a sacrifice the children would like to make.”

  “But now?” Christy had asked. “The mission’s never been so short on donations and cash. We’ve been scraping by for weeks, living on hope and prayers. The last thing the children need is to be giving away the clothes off their own backs. For a horse’s birthday, no less!”

  “Maybe,” Miss Alice had replied, “that’s exactly why they need it. Maybe Prince’s birthday provides them with a reason to celebrate. We all need to be able to give, Christy.”

  Out had come the scissors. One by one, Christy had cut tiny squares out of her students’ precious clothes.

  “It’s just like Joseph’s coat o’ many colors!” Ruby Mae exclaimed. “Ain’t it just the purtiest thing you ever did see?”

  As if on command, Prince sauntered around in a circle, showing off his new blanket and garland. With his head held high and his mane streaming in the wind, he was a wonderful sight.

  “Would you look at that?” David called as he strode toward the fence. “Children, that is, without a doubt, the finest horse blanket in the history of horse blankets! And look how Prince is dancing about! I can tell he loves it. Judging from the way he’s trying to eat his garland, he seems to love that, too!”

  Prince trotted around while the children followed him, laughing and joking. “I haven’t seen them in such a good mood in a long time,” Christy whispered to David. “It’s good to see. They love that horse so much.”

  A frown creased David’s brow. He glanced back at the mission house.

  “David?” Christy asked. “What’s wrong?”

  “I . . .” He paused. “The truth is, Christy, I’m not sure how much longer we’re going to be able to keep Prince.”

  Two

  Miss Ida,” Christy said at dinner that evening, “that was a very nice soup. What do you call it?”

  “Whatever Soup,” said Miss Ida, who was David’s sister. “I toss whatever I can find into the pot and let it boil. Tonight it was potatoes, some roots Ruby Mae dug up, and half an onion.”

  “Well, at least we’re not resorting to boiling shoe leather,” David joked.

  “Don’t be too sure, David.” Miss Ida started to clear the table. “Remember how tough that meat was last night?”

  David gulped as Miss Ida headed to the kitchen. “She was joking, wasn’t she?”

  “Preacher, ’course she was jokin’.” Ruby Mae rolled her eyes. “Shoe leather’s way too precious to waste on eatin’.”

  Miss Alice sighed. “The sad truth is, we are going to have to do some belt-tightening.” She motioned toward the kitchen. “Ruby Mae, you go on and help Miss Ida clean up. Christy and David and I have some things to discuss.”

  “Uh-oh.” Ruby Mae leapt out of her chair. “I hate discussions. There’s always a heap o’ loud voices. Leastways, that’s how it always was with my ma and step-pa.”

  She grabbed her plate and mug, tossed her head, and dashed for the kitchen, her long, red hair flying like a flag in the breeze. Because Ruby Mae had a hard time getting along with her stepfather, she was living at the mission house for the time being. She could be a handful sometimes, but everyone was very fond of her.

  Miss Alice led David and Christy to the parlor. She pointed to a wooden box. “Take a look,” she said. “That’s the latest round of donations.”

  Christy peeked inside. The half-e
mpty box contained a few threadbare clothes and some musty books.

  “We have to face facts,” Miss Alice said. “The mission is very low on funds. We’re short on food and supplies, and most importantly, on medicine.”

  Christy couldn’t help feeling alarmed at her tone. Miss Alice was always calm in a crisis. No matter what the problem was, she always seemed to have a solution. But today, she looked genuinely worried. Her gray eyes were rimmed in red, and the smile lines around her eyes looked more like deep worry lines.

  “The mission’s always struggling to make ends meet, Miss Alice,” Christy pointed out. “Perhaps if I send some more letters, asking for donations—”

  “This is far more serious than that, Christy.” Miss Alice rubbed her eyes. “Doctor MacNeill and I are dreadfully short on medical supplies. Miss Ida is running out of food. I’m afraid this is going to call for some drastic actions.”

  Christy didn’t know what to say. She walked to the window, trying to collect her thoughts. The deep green spires of the Great Smoky Mountains loomed in the distance. Once again, she was struck by the contrasts in this wondrous landscape. How could a land so rich in beauty be inhabited by people so desperately poor?

  “I think,” Miss Alice said softly, “that we only have one choice. We need to sell something of value. And the most valuable thing the mission owns is Prince.”

  David nodded gravely. He looked sadder than Christy had ever seen him. Christy knew he loved that horse as much as the children did.

  “You’re right, Miss Alice,” he said softly. “There’s an auction in El Pano next week. I’ll take him myself.”

  “I’m so sorry, David. If I could think of another way . . .” Miss Alice’s voice trailed off. “Old Theo wouldn’t bring us much. As lame as he is, we’d have to pay somebody to take that poor old mule off our hands. And Goldie’s a fine mare, but she’s getting up there in years. If we didn’t get enough for her, we’d have to sell Prince later on, too. And we can’t afford to lose both horses. It’s the only way we can get to the most remote parts of these mountains.”

  “But the children will be heartbroken,” Christy protested. “There must be another way. Maybe if I went home to Asheville, I could ask for donations from churches. Or I could even get a job for a while. . . .”

  “And how would that help the children?” Miss Alice asked. “They need you here, Christy. No, I’m afraid this is the only way.”

  Christy dropped into a chair next to David. For a while, nobody spoke.

  Finally, Christy broke the silence. “Remember when Mr. Pentland delivered Prince to us at the school?” she asked with a wistful smile. “I can still hear him calling out ‘Special delivery from the U-nited States Postal Service!’ Who would ever have imagined the mailman was delivering a huge black stallion? The children were so thrilled I thought I’d never get them to settle down again!”

  “It was a very generous donation,” Miss Alice agreed. A woman who had met Christy’s mother in Asheville, North Carolina, had sent Prince after learning of the mission’s need for a horse. “And we’ve been blessed to have such a fine animal as a companion. But I’m sure David will find him a fine new home. Perhaps, if it’s close enough, we could even take the children to visit sometimes.”

  Just then, Ruby Mae appeared in the doorway. “Visit who?”

  “Ruby Mae,” Christy said, “you know you shouldn’t eavesdrop!”

  “I weren’t eavesdroppin’. Miss Ida done sent me to see if’n anybody wants some tea. She’s got some herbs she’s been savin’.” She planted her hands on her hips. “So who would we be a-visitin’? The doctor’s Aunt Cora in Knoxville, maybe? Or Miz Christy’s folks back in Asheville?”

  “No, Ruby Mae.” Miss Alice cast a quick glance at Christy. “I’m afraid we’ve got some bad news, dear.”

  “What kind of bad news?”

  “The mission needs money, Ruby Mae,” Christy said gently. “Very, very badly. Now, you know how much we all love Prince, but—”

  “Prince?” Ruby Mae asked. “What does Prince have to do with it?” Suddenly, her eyes went wide. “Unless . . . unless you all are a-plannin’ to sell him?”

  “It’s the only way,” David said. “You know I love that horse as much as you do, Ruby Mae. You know I’d do anything to try to keep him if I could.”

  “You don’t love him like I do!” Ruby Mae shouted. “Nobody does! You ain’t the one who knows just where he likes to be scratched behind his right ear! You ain’t the one who’s kissed him goodnight ever’ single evenin’ since he come to Cutter Gap!” A sob racked her body. “Nobody loves him like I love him! You can’t sell him! You just can’t!”

  “There isn’t any choice, Ruby Mae,” Christy said. She tried to embrace her, but Ruby Mae yanked free.

  “I’ll never forgive you for this,” Ruby Mae sobbed. “Never, not as long as I live!”

  She spun around and ran up the stairs. In the silence that followed, her awful sobs seemed to fill the whole house.

  Three

  I suppose most of you know that tomorrow the Reverend Grantland and Ruby Mae and I will be taking Prince to the auction in El Pano,” Christy said the following Thursday morning at school. “Miss Alice will be teaching you tomorrow. I expect you all to be on your best behavior.”

  A few days had passed. By now, everybody knew about the decision to sell Prince. All week, Christy had dealt with the pleading and tears of her students.

  Wraight Holt had threatened to kidnap Prince and hide him in a safe area no one could find. (Fortunately, Christy had talked him out of that scheme.) Creed Allen had offered to sell his new litter of hound dogs in exchange for Prince’s safety. Everybody, it seemed, had a plan for saving Prince.

  But in the end, there was nothing anyone could do. Standing before her class today, Christy realized that this was the hardest lesson she’d had to teach her students. How could she help the children accept a loss like this . . . children who had so little to lose and who’d suffered through so much?

  She patted Clara Spencer on the shoulder. Like so many of the students, Clara’s eyes were red, and she was sniffling softly.

  “I know how hard this is,” Christy said as she walked past the rows of desks and benches. “But loss is a part of life, children. With God’s help, we’ll make it through this sad time. Who knows what the future may bring? Maybe someday we’ll read about Prince after he’s become a famous racehorse. Can anybody else think of another happy ending to this story?”

  After a moment, Creed raised his hand. “Maybe he’ll grow up to be a daddy and have lots of little Princes runnin’ around.”

  “That’s a wonderful idea, Creed. Anybody else?”

  “He could go to a farm where they grow lots and lots of sugar, ’cause he loves sugar more ’n anything,” Little Burl Allen suggested. “And he could get fat and sassy like my ol’ hound dog.”

  “That would be a very happy future for Prince,” Christy agreed.

  Ruby Mae glared at Christy. “Them’s just fairy tales. Ain’t but one good future for Prince,” she said. “That’s when we find a way to keep him here in Cutter Gap, where he belongs.”

  The answer didn’t surprise Christy. Since she’d found out they’d have to sell Prince, Ruby Mae had barely spoken to Christy. Each evening at dinner, she simply stared at her plate. In school, she refused to answer questions. She’d spent every spare moment she could find with Prince.

  “That’s such a nice dream, Ruby Mae,” Christy said gently. “But I think we have to accept the fact that Prince won’t be living here anymore.”

  “I ain’t never goin’ to accept that,” Ruby Mae muttered. Someone else sobbed. Another student sniffled.

  Christy couldn’t help sighing. She wanted to cry herself. She’d be very glad when this whole thing was over. With time, the children’s pain would ease.

  At least, that’s what she hoped.

  “You’re sure you want to come?” David asked the next morning. “It’s a
long, hard walk to El Pano. And I’m sure you remember how tough the trail can be, Christy.”

  “Don’t try to talk me out of it, David,” Christy answered. “I’m coming.”

  “I’m comin’, too, no matter what you say,” Ruby Mae agreed. “I got to say goodbye, proper-like.”

  It was a cool, breezy day. Wisps of clouds flew past the mountaintops like ships on a pale blue ocean. In the pasture, Prince was grazing calmly.

  “Look how happy Prince is. He don’t even know what’s a-comin’,” Ruby Mae said. “He thinks he can trust us.”

  “I know you think we’re betraying Prince, Ruby Mae,” David said as he leaned against the fence. “But we’re going to make sure he gets a good home. I promise.”

  Ruby Mae jutted her chin. “S’posin’ your ma and pa sold you? How do you think that’d make you feel?”

  “It’s not like that, Ruby Mae,” Christy said. But even as she said the words, she realized that for Ruby Mae, this goodbye was probably especially hard. Perhaps she felt a little abandoned herself, living with Christy and Miss Ida at the mission house. Ruby Mae hardly ever saw her mother or her stepfather. Watching Prince being torn from his “family” couldn’t be easy. Still, she did at least seem somewhat more resigned to the fact that he was leaving.

  Off in the distance came the sound of a galloping horse. “Looks like Doctor MacNeill,” Ruby Mae reported. “And there’s someone ridin’ with him.”

  “That’s Lundy Taylor!” Christy exclaimed.

  Doctor MacNeill reined his horse to a stop, and he and Lundy dismounted. “Thought I’d stop by to wish you a safe trip,” the doctor said, winking at Christy.

  David pretended to bat his eyes. “Why, Neil, I didn’t know you cared!”

  The doctor laughed. “Actually, I was talking to Christy, Reverend.”

  “Now, there’s a surprise,” David said. David and Neil had been rivals for Christy’s affections for some time.

  “In any case, it was nice of you to come, Neil,” Christy said. “And what brings you here, Lundy?”