The Librarian of Boone's Hollow - Kim Vogel Sawyer Page 0,44
far. Daddy loaded her cases in the rumble seat, and then they climbed into the cab, with Addie in the center. Three abreast was crowded now that Addie was all grown up, but she loved sitting between Mother and Daddy, as she’d done on so many Sunday afternoon drives through the country in Daddy’s now-sold Model A.
A lump filled her throat. So many experiences, so dear in heart, would forever reside only in memory unless their financial position drastically changed. She sent up a quick, silent prayer of thanks for her job waiting in Boone’s Hollow. Twenty-nine dollars…If she paid ten for boarding and five each month to the college, she could send the remaining fourteen dollars to Mother and Daddy. By Christmastime, would they have enough saved up to be able to rent a little home? If Daddy found a job, too, they might be able to leave the awful boardinghouse even sooner. Her heart fluttered with hope.
Daddy turned off Depot Street onto Douglas Avenue. The tune of rubber tires on brick pavement carried through the open windows. Mother placed her hand on Addie’s knee. “Preacher Finley and his wife have opened their home to you for tonight, since there isn’t a place for you to sleep at the boardinghouse. They’ve been so kind to us in this time of trial.”
“A true blessing.” Addie grinned at Mother, repeating the phrase she’d heard so often from her mother’s lips.
Mother squeezed Addie’s knee, then linked her hands in her lap. “Indeed, it is. Mrs. Finley will take you to the train station in the morning, before church service.”
The vehicle picked up speed, and the breeze streaming through the open side windows tossed Addie’s hair over her eyes. She captured the long strands and drew them over her left shoulder, then clamped the thick tail to her collarbone with her fist. “But I wanted to attend service with you before I leave. Isn’t there an afternoon train I could take instead?”
Mother tsk-tsked. “Your daddy checked. There are four stops between Georgetown and Lynch.”
“Lexington, Mount Vernon, Pittsburg, and Cumberland.” His hands on the steering wheel, Daddy raised a finger for each location. He sent a sideways glance at her, then faced the street again. “As it is, leaving here at nine in the morning won’t get you to Lynch until late afternoon. And then you still have to travel to Boone’s Hollow.”
Addie folded her arms and bit her lip.
Daddy nudged her with his elbow—a silent message she’d received in childhood when her behavior displeased him. She automatically mimicked Mother’s pose, hands in her lap.
Daddy bumped her again, but this was a friendly bump. “Who is picking you up from the depot in Lynch?”
Addie addressed Daddy’s profile. “Mrs. Hunt’s cousin Miss West—the one who directs the library in Boone’s Hollow—made arrangements for someone named Kermit Gilliam to meet me with a wagon.”
“Not a car?”
Addie turned at Mother’s question. “No, she said a wagon.”
“The roads in the mountains are steep.” Daddy drew Addie’s attention again. “Most people up in the mountain communities still use horses and wagons instead of motor vehicles.”
Addie’d seen a few wagons on the streets of Georgetown. Mostly farmers hauling vegetables or small livestock to the markets. But she hadn’t contemplated horses and wagons being the main means of transportation anywhere in Kentucky. Perhaps she should have, given that she’d be riding a horse to make her book deliveries.
She shrugged. “Mrs. Hunt said a person could walk from Lynch to Boone’s Hollow but since I’ll have luggage with me, I need a ride. I’m glad Miss West arranged it for me.”
Daddy turned into the residential area where Preacher and Mrs. Finley lived in a bungalow with their school-age daughters. “Did she arrange boarding for you, too?”
Nervousness wriggled through Addie’s belly. “She said I would share her lodging until I could find a place to stay. I might need to take a room in Lynch.” She hoped to find something in Boone’s Hollow, though. Even a room in someone’s private house would be preferable to making the trip from Lynch each day. And maybe a room in a house would cost less than ten dollars a month.
Daddy pulled up to the preacher’s house and turned off the coupe’s engine. The vehicle sputtered a bit before coughing and falling silent. “Before we go in, let’s pray together.” He slid his arm around her shoulders and held his other hand to Mother.
She placed one hand on Addie’s shoulder and took hold of