The next morning, Lizzie, Sadie, Nellie and Archie waited on the porch for Uncle John and Aunt Eleanor to arrive. Lizzie and Sadie were sewing on a patchwork quilt, and Nellie and Archie were climbing the nine feet posts of the entrance.
“Hey! I see them!” Nellie suddenly cried.
“YAH!” Archie inched up the post and got to the top and looked down.
“Ah!” He shouted.
Lizzie and Sadie chuckled. He inched along the top and got to Nellie. He then slipped and bumped into Nellie. Nellie lost her grip on the post and fell. Lizzie and Sadie cried out and dropped the quilt, rushing to the post in time to break Nellie’s fall.
“Oh, dear! Archie, get down from there!” Lizzie shouted. Archie scrambled down just as a wagon drove up.
A tall Uncle John hopped out and helped pretty Aunt Eleanor down. Then a tall, lean girl jumped out, followed carefully and slowly by an older one. Lizzie recognized them at once. Emma looked over and ran to Lizzie.
“Em!” Lizzie cried, hugging her. Opal was embracing Sadie and Nellie and Archie all at once.
“It’s so good to see my little sisters and brother again!” Opal cried in a grown-up voice. She was 17 now.
“Opal?” Lizzie asked.
“Oh, Lizzie, dear!” Opal hugged her tightly.
“I didn’t see you until now!” Opal sighed slightly.
“Of course you didn’t.” Emma said quietly.
“What did you say, Em?” Lizzie asked quickly.
“Nothing.” Emma was acting a little bit strange.
“Let’s all go inside now.” Sadie said quickly, changing the subject. She, too, noticed the change in Emma.
So they all filed inside and soon everyone was in the living room, chatting and laughing happily together. Uncle John, Aunt Eleanor, Nora, Cara, Daisy, Candy and Johnny were staying for the week.
The next day, Opal, Emma, Lizzie and Sadie decided to take a walk in the woods. Nellie insisted on going along, so they agreed after a moment of deciding.
“Let’s go to the cave!” Nellie said.
“I don’t know, Nellie.” Emma said.
“What! I am ten now, I’m old enough to go!” Nellie cried.
“Nellie, Em’s right, besides, I don’t feel like going to the cave at the moment.” Opal said.
“Oh, okay. Let’s hurry though. Come on!” Nellie said.
So they hurried along on the trail. Opal suddenly started to feel her way around, slowing down.
“Op! Hurry up!” Nellie yelled over her shoulder, slowing.
“Sorry, Nellie!” Opal yelled back, hurrying along. Opal suddenly tripped and fell face forward on the dirt trail.
“Oh, dear!” Lizzie and Emma ran to Opal with Sadie and Nellie trailing behind them.
“She just fell! How did she trip?” Lizzie asked quietly.
“Ohhhhh.....” Opal groaned.
“Here, Lizzie, and you and Sadie help me get Opal back to the house. Nellie, make sure nothing gets in our way.” Emma said, placing her arm under Opal’s back while Lizzie and Sadie lifted her legs. They stumbled back to the house and by then Opal was ready to walk again.
“Just a little fall, nothing to worry about.” Opal said when Emma told Mama about it.
“Well, Opal, you’d better stick to the indoors for a bit, all right?” Mama said.
“Yes, Ma’am.” Opal said quietly, stumbling to her bedroom.
Later in the after noon, Sadie was fetching flour from the pantry and she heard voices in the parlor as she went past. She leaned her ear up against the wall for a moment..
“Lewis, I suppose now we need to tell you and Mary Ann.” Uncle John was saying.
“Yes, indeed.” Aunt Eleanor’s voice.
“What is it, Eleanor, John?” Papa said.
“Well, you do know how Opal fell today.” Uncle John said. Sadie caught her breath and leaned closer to the door.
“Well, ever since a few months ago, her sight has been decreasing rapidly. One day she couldn’t hardly see at all. Lewis, Mary Ann, Opal is going blind.” Sadie almost gasped, but she kept quiet.
“Oh, No!” Mama cried softly.
“Yes, Mary Ann, it’s true, sadly.” Aunt Eleanor said sadly.
“We didn’t take her to a doctor, since we didn’t know what to do, and Opal refused to have any thing done. Her excuse was that we would be wasting our money. Of course, Eleanor and I thought no such thing, but we didn’t want to force her.” Uncle John said.
“Ah, we will be able to get her to a doctor. Tomorrow, if possible.” Papa said gravely.
“Oh, we are so sorry we didn’t do any thing before now. If you can ever forgive us..........” Uncle John was interrupted by Papa.
“No, no, it’s not your fault. Of course you couldn’t make Opal do as you wanted, and that was all you could do, so this is not your fault.” Papa stood up, quietly, but Sadie heard and she fled down the hall to the pantry and hid inside until Papa, Mama, Uncle John and Aunt Eleanor had left the Parlor. Then she grabbed the flour bag and dashed to the kitchen.
“What took you so long?” Emma sighed.
“Uh, ah, nothing.” Sadie blurted. Emma eyed her and then measured the flour into the bread dough. Thirty minutes later, the bread was done, and Emma and Opal were sitting in the kitchen.
“Em?” Opal said quietly.
“Yes, Opal?” Emma asked.
“You know how at Uncle and Auntie’s I told you that I was having trouble seeing?” Opal asked.
“Yes?” Emma leaned forward in her chair.
“Well, this afternoon, I couldn’t see nothing. I can see blurs now, but then nothing.” Opal sighed greatly.
“So you think you’re going blind??” Emma gasped.
“Yes, Em. I think so.” Opal said.
“Oh, dear! That’s terrible! What are you going to do? This is horrid!” Emma cried.
“Keep your voice down, Em. And don’t be so dramatic. It’s not that bad.” Opal assured Emma.
“Well, it sounds dreadful!” Emma was almost crying now.
“We are never going to be able to do things together if you’re blind!” Emma added.
“Emma, I’m not for sure yet. It will be fine. I’ll learn to do things without seeing, you’ll see!” Opal said.
“Oh. But, Op, aren’t you going to go to a doctor or something and try to fix it?” Emma asked sadly.
“No, that would waste time and money, Em.” Opal said.
“Oh, dear, here you go again!” Emma sighed.
Just then, Papa and Mama came in.
“Opal, we need to talk. Em, why don’t you run along now?” Mama said.
“Mama! That’s for little children!” Emma sighed and quickly left the room when Mama eyed her sternly. Once Emma was out of earshot, Mama and Papa talked to Opal.
“We need to talk about your sight, Opal. Your uncle and aunt have told us that at moments you go blind. We have set an appointment with the eye doctor for tomorrow.” Papa said.
“Papa, no! It costs so much!” Opal cried.
“Opal! Shh! This is NOT a matter of money, It’s for your own good! Now, you will cooperate, all right?” Mama said quickly. Opal hung her head and muttered,
“Yes, Ma’am.” Opal fingered her apron for a moment and then Papa and Mama left. They were going to contact James and Annie’s new parents. That night at devotion time, Papa announced,
“We are going to Arizona to see James and Annie next week.”
“Oh, hooray! I can’t wait!” Sadie eagerly cried.
“Oh, quiet down, Sadie.” Opal growled. Mama shot her a surprised glance. Opal never was stern or any thing with the younger ones. She sighed and then remembered about the conversation in the kitchen. Probably that was bothering her. But, still, she shouldn't act so. Nora and Cara yawned, and Aunt Eleanor sent them to bed with Daisy, Candy and Johnny. Nellie and Archie went to bed, too. The next day, Opal’s appointment went well, and she had a quick eye surgery. Then they got her the right kind of glasses and Opal could see much better. Then the next day, Uncle John, Aunt Eleanor, Nora, Cara, Daisy, Candy and Johnny had to go home. The others prepared for the trip to Arizona. The day before they were to leave for Arizona, Nellie and Archie were bouncing off the walls because they were so excited. Opal and Emma and Mama and Aunt Phoebe were busy preparing for the trip, and Lizzie and Sadie were helping Papa with the wagons. Finally, morning came, and Opal and Emma woke all the children while Mama and Aunt Phoebe packed food. Later, they were all settled under quilts and blankets in the wagon. It was spring time, but it was still chilly in the mornings. By dinner time, Nellie and Archie were worn out by jumping around in the wagon with excitement. Mama made them take a quick nap while the mules rested.
Several days later, they arrived in Winslow, Arizona. They stayed the night at a hotel just outside of the town and in the morning, Papa asked the clerk if he knew a couple with 2 children named James and Annie.
The clerk said that he did, and he gave them their address. Then Papa left with the wagon to the farm house 5 miles out of the town.
That night, Papa returned, and he looked quite sad.
“What is it, Papa?” Opal questioned.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bennet were kind, but they said it would be almost impossible to legally get James and Annie back.” Papa said.
“Oh, dear!” Mama said, worried.
“Suppose we could talk with Dean and Laura’s lawyer.” Papa said.
“Who’s ‘Dean and Laura’?” Nellie asked.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, James and Annie’s new parents. They also have some children of their own. Katie, 9 Ellie, 16, and Peter, 14.” Papa said.
“May be we could all go see them tomorrow.” Opal suggested.
“Good idea, Opal. I’ll ask the clerk if we can rent this room for a couple of weeks. Then we’ll have some where to stay until we get this figured out.” Papa said, heading for the door of the hotel room.
“Oh, and may be I’ll get a room with a kitchenette so that we can fix our own meals!” Papa said as he opened the door. Mama smiled and handed him the key to the hotel room. Papa disappeared into the hallway.
“Ah, excuse me?” Papa said to get the clerk's attention.
“Oh, Mr. Jarginson! Hello again, any thing you need?” The clerk asked.
“Yes, actually. We will be needing to get a larger room with a kitchenette for about 2 or so weeks.” Papa said.
“All right. Let’s see here....Ah, here’s a nice large place with three rooms. Here’s the key, sir. Room 115.” The clerk handed him the key.
“You can move your things into the room and then give me the 101 key from your first room, all right?” The clerk asked. Papa nodded and headed up the long, winding stairs to the hotel room. Mama and Emma watched the room while the others moved the suitcases and things from room 101 into room 115.
Once everything was in and settled, it was time for Nellie and Archie to go to bed. The next morning, they ate breakfast in the hotel’s dining room and while Papa and Mama went to visit with the Bennet’s lawyer, Opal, Emma, Lizzie, Sadie, Nellie and Archie went into the town and bought things to make meals for the next two weeks at the hotel.
Later, when the family was gathered in the kitchenette for dinner, Papa told them the news from the visit with the lawyer.
“We’ll have to go through the orphan train again and let them know that we are 'UN-adopting' James and Annie. Also, the counsel of the town that helped Mr. and Mrs. Bennet adopt James and Annie will have to agree with this. It will be quite a process, I’m sure. We’ll just have to go through it all. How about tomorrow we visit the Bennet’s personally?” Papa asked, looking around the tiny table at the family.
A chorus of ‘yes’s’ went up from the 4 younger ones, and Mama, Opal and Emma smiled happily.
“Then it’s settled!” Papa cheerfully said.
They slept peacefully that night, and were freshened up by 6 o clock in the morning. Opal helped Mamma fix breakfast, and they all ate. Then Papa hitched up the horses to the wagon and drove the family to the Bennet’s house. Once there, Papa unhitched the horses and helped everyone out of the wagon. Then they knocked on the door and a tall, slender, Amish lady opened it. “May I help you all?” She asked.
“Yes, this is the Bennet household, I presume?” Papa said.
“Jah, that’s right. You’d like to speak with the mistress?” The lady asked.
“Mr. and Mrs. Bennet, please.” Papa said.
“All right. By the way, my name is Rachel.” The lady said. Then she hurried away to find Mr. and Mrs. Bennnet. A few minutes later, everyone was sitting in the parlor. Mrs. Bennet was a short, plump lady with a sweet face and Mr. Bennet was tall and slender.
“You’re here about the children, I presume?” Mr. Bennet asked.
“Yes, actually, Dean.” Papa told him everything that the lawyer had said, and Mr. Bennet replied,
“We’ll do all we can to help with this arrangement, although we will miss James and Annie terribly. But you have most likely been missing them more then we, since they are your children.” Mr. Bennet said. Mrs. Bennet agreed. Just then, a girl hurried in, followed by a tall boy.
“M--” The girl started to say something but stopped when she saw the Jarginsons. She backed up, right into her older brother.
“Kat! Watch where you’re going!” The boy exclaimed.
“Sorry, Peter.” Katie muttered.
“Peter, Katie, this is Mr. Lewis Jarginson, and his wife, Mary Ann, and their children, Opal, Emma, Lizzie, Sadie, Nellie and Archie. These are James and Annie’s real family.” Mrs. Bennet said, motioning for the two children to come on in. Just then, a tall girl entered.
“Howdy do!” She said when she saw the visitors. “Mr. Jarginson and his family, right Mama?” She asked.
“Yes, Ellie.” Then to the Jarginsons she said, “This is our oldest, Ellie.” Ellie smiled at them sweetly.
“Mama, would you like me to fetch James and Annie?” She asked, looking at Mrs. Bennet. Mrs. Bennet nodded and Ellie hurried out.
In the barn, James and Annie were feeding the mules.
“I wish we could see Papa and Mama and the others again.” Annie sighed.
“Yeah. Me ‘n Archie used to have so much fun. Peter’s okay, but it’s not the same. I guess you feel the same about Katie?” James said.
“Yes, kind of.” Annie sighed again as she climbed aboard Sugar, the oldest mule.
“I miss the country, too. With all the maids and every thing, I don’t really like it. Sure, the Bennet’s are kind enough.” James was saying as he brushed down the other mule. Just then, Ellie hurried into the barn.
“James, Annie!” She yelled.
“We’re right here.” James called. Ellie hurried over.
“There’s some people here to see you two.” Ellie grinned.
“Who, Ellie?” James asked.
“Your Papa and Mama!” Ellie said. James and Annie stood, stunned.
“Come on, James, Annie!” Ellie said, taking their hands and leading them out of the barn. James and Annie looked at each other, still stunned by Ellie’s quickness.
“Ellie, slow down, will ya?” James asked, trying to keep up with Ellie.
“Sorry, James.” Ellie slowed. Once they reached the parlor, James and Annie were very excited. They had seen the wagon by the house, and they knew that someone from a long ways away had come. Rachel appeared and swung the door open for them. James and Annie entered first.
The other 8 sat in the parlor, waiting for Ellie to come back with James and Annie. Archie and Nellie were jumping around happily, and Mama had to tell them to calm down. Just then, Rachel flung the door open and two children slowly walked in, looking at the Jarginsons.
“James? Annie?” James and Annie stared at them and James ran to them, and Annie flung herself onto Mama.
“Oh, my little baby!” Mama said, hugging Annie. Annie hugged Mama back and all 10 of them hugged each other. They were all together again!
They talked and talked late into the day until it was time for the others to head back to the hotel. The next day, the court met and James and Annie were 'UN-adopted'. Then that afternoon, the Jarginsons went to the Bennet’s for supper. When they were going to leave, the Bennet’s hugged James and Annie good-bye.
“I’ll miss doing things with you, James. Bye.” Peter said to James. James smiled at Peter and said good-bye to him. Then James hugged Ellie and Katie good-bye.
“May be you’ll come visit, aye?” Ellie asked. James nodded and then Annie hugged them good-bye, too. Then Rachel hugged them good-bye, too.
Then everyone piled into the wagon and headed for the hotel for the night. Then the next morning they were on their way HOME. Six days later, they turned onto the dirt drive that led to their house.
The wagon rolled up the drive and past the two big, oak trees. Then the old house appeared. Papa said,
“We’re all home together now.”
THE END!
Side note: I cut out three pages of an unnecessary side story about them babysitting some children they met in Arizona.
A little unrealistic but sweet story :)
ReplyDeleteYep, it's pretty unrealistic! =P
ReplyDelete