The Librarian of Boone's Hollow - Kim Vogel Sawyer Page 0,52
He talked with a mouthful, and little pieces of bread sprayed out.
Bettina stirred butter into her grits and tried not to think about where that chewed food might’ve landed. “I will.”
“Tell her nobody else’ll put her up an’ feed her for less’n that.” He slurped from his coffee cup, dark eyes glaring at Bettina over its rim.
“I’ll tell ’er, Pap. Two dollars for a room an’ meals.” She wished she had the courage to ask why she had to give up her room to the new book gal. Pap could sleep in the barn as easy as Bettina could. Easier maybe. He ended up out there some nights when he got himself too pickled to find his way to the house anyway. Didn’t seem fair, having to hand over so much of her pay and now not even get to sleep in her own bed.
Bettina filled her spoon and blew on it. She hated burning her mouth on the first bite. “Since you ain’t askin’ a lot o’ pay, mebbe she can help some with cookin’ an’ cleanin’, too. Earn some of her keep.”
Pap’s fist came down on the table so hard the coffee cups bounced and Bettina tossed her spoonful of grits down the front of her overalls. She hissed through her teeth.
Pap jammed his finger at her. “Don’t you say nothin’ to that gal except what I told you to say.”
She dabbed at her front with the rag she’d used to wipe the table before they sat to eat. “All right, all right, I just thought—”
“You don’t do the thinkin’ in this house. You ain’t got brains enough to do the thinkin’.”
She clenched her teeth so tight her jaw ached. She flicked every bit of grits from her clothes, not caring at all that it landed on the floor, where it’d get stepped on and ground into the dirt.
Pap shoved his plate aside and stood. “I gotta go or I’ll miss the wagon. Make sure you get these dishes washed an’ your room spiffed up before you leave. Don’t want that gal thinkin’ we ain’t clean people.”
Bettina bit back a laugh. Clean? Pap could shower every day at the Lynch bathhouse if he wanted, but he only went in on Fridays. At least Bettina used a bucket and cloth every night before she went to bed. She couldn’t hardly stand feeling all sweat itchy. She put a little dab of Maw’s lily-o’-the-valley water under her armpits every morning, too, to cover up the body odor.
It’d be a heap harder to keep herself halfway clean once she was sleeping in the barn every night. But Emmett shouldn’t wait too much longer to start courting her. When she and Emmett got married, they’d have a real bathroom in their house, with a flush toilet—no more stinky outhouse—and a genuine tub, and she’d sit in bubbles up to her chin every night so she’d be sweet smelling for him when she crawled under the covers.
“Girl, are you listenin’ to me?”
Bettina jumped. Was Pap still here? Her face blazed hot, and she nodded. “I’m listenin’.”
“You best be. An’ you best do as I said.”
Had he said something more? She didn’t dare ask. “I will, Pap.”
He grabbed the bucket lunch Bettina had packed for him and walked out, slamming the door.
She picked up her bowl, no longer hungry, and scraped the food into the slop pail. She scrubbed the dishes and put them away, made her bed, and changed into a blouse and dungarees. She tossed the mucked-up overalls into her clothes basket, then picked it up, intending to carry it out to the barn. But she froze in place, a worry holding her captive. If the new girl took over Bettina’s room, that girl would bring in her own clothes. All of Bettina’s clothes—what few she owned—had to go out. Including the beautiful dress she’d bought from the company store.
“I can’t keep my weddin’ dress in the barn!”
Bettina hung her head and moaned. What was she gonna do?
Addie
UNFAMILIAR SOUNDS—THUMPS AND SCRAPES—WOKE ADDIE from a restless sleep. She sat up, then blinked in confusion, pulse racing. Strange shadows surrounded her, and the smell of ham hung heavy. Where was she? Ah, yes. She hugged herself, willing the panicky feeling to ease. She was in the Boone’s Hollow library…which wasn’t really a library at all.
She squinted across the narrow space, her eyes adjusting. Miss West’s cot was empty. All the noises coming from the other side of the blanket barrier must be