Teaching Miss Maisie Jane (15 page)

It took three days before Cora figured out the Singer sewing machine. Maisie Jane finally convinced Cora to accept the dress goods and they thought they’d use Cora’s new dress as a test project.

Maisie
Jane was still getting her cooking lessons but there wasn’t any danger of her setting the house on fire anymore, so Cora didn’t have to stand watch over her so much. Cora set the Singer sewing machine up on a table in the kitchen and only advised as Maisie Jane cooked. Maisie Jane, in turn watched Cora as she worked the machine.

“Honey,
can you go get me a newspaper from the other room,” Cora asked. “They’re in the big basket by my sewing chair.”

“Yes,
ma’am,” Maisie Jane said, giving her stew a quick stir with a wooden spoon and going into the sitting room. She knelt down to pick up the newspaper and picked up a Baltimore Herald from a month earlier. She read a headline on the first page and gasped. Looking behind her she quickly folded the front page and hid it under her petticoat. Then she picked up a Daily Nation Republican newspaper from Washington, DC and looked over the pages quickly.”

“Honey,
did you find it,” Cora called.

“Yes,
ma’am, I’m coming,” Maisie Jane answered and she carried the newspaper back into the kitchen.

Cora
took it from her and immediately started cutting a dress pattern from it. Cora had used the same dress pattern for years and she told Maisie to copy her patterns onto newspaper and they would last a long time.

Maisie
nodded and went back to the stove, deliberately turning her back to the woman. “Cora, where did you get newspapers from the east coast?”

“Levi
picks them up for me over at the bank when he goes to Elco. Mr. Findley has them sent in by the stage, and he saves them for Levi. I have papers from the east coast and the west coast. Levi knows I like to read when I have time, and he don’t mind as long as his supper’s on the table when he gets in from work. It’s interesting to read about other parts of the country. Course, most of my reading goes on in the winter months. I’ll have lots to read this winter because you brought me all those books, but when the snow starts I’m sure going to miss having you around, child.”

“I’m
going to miss you lot too,” Maisie admitted. “Everyone talks about the snow coming. It really that bad?”

“Oh,
honey, some winters when the blizzards are real bad, we’re in for months at a time. Other years, not so bad. We prepare for the worst, and pray for the best. Now, don’t you worry about what might or might not happen this winter;  we’ve got to get to work on with this dress and you got to mend those socks of Jakes.”

As
soon as Maisie Jane got home that evening she hid the page of newspaper and then she spent the next several days worrying about it and trying to think what to do.

Maisie
Jane decided that Jake was most definitely in lust with her. And she liked it - a lot. He couldn’t seem to get at her enough. Never a night or a morning went by when they weren’t having pleasure with each other, over and over again. The only time they didn’t do it was when her woman time came, but that only lasted four days.

When
it was over, Jake was so glad that they hardly got any sleep at all that night and she was late going to Cora’s the next morning.

One
morning they did it twice before they got out of bed and when she was milking the cow, Jake came in the barn, put her milk bucket aside and had her up against the wall. According to the dime novels she’d read, she’d been ravished!  And, she was being just as naughty, because sometimes she told him she had the squigglies when she didn’t. She knew even if she didn’t, she would have them as soon as he started kissing her.

They
were getting along so well, that Maisie Jane just knew everything was going to work out and then she spoiled it.

They
were running behind schedule, which was more the normal lately mostly because Jake had been lustful three times that morning. Maisie Jane knew that word would get her mouth washed out with soap, but she could think it. Nobody could know what she was thinking.

She
and Jake had got into it again, because he refused to let her ride the horse over to Cora’s by herself. He complained because he had to take her over, but he wouldn’t let her go by herself. It didn’t make sense, but Jake was being firm, and he gave her that warning look so she shut up.

So,
she was hurrying, trying to get ready and so was Jake. He told her he’d do the chickens and the cow while she fixed breakfast.

To
make up for sassing him about the horse, Maisie Jane fried up some sausages that Cora had given them because she knew they were a favorite of his.

Jake
came back with the milk and the eggs, but he was muddy because he’d slipped and fallen. He’d saved the eggs and milk but his clothes would have to be put into soak before she left for Cora’s. Jake went to wash up while she tended to the eggs and milk. Jake went into the bedroom and hollered back out. “Maisie Jane where’d you put that shirt you mended?”

“Bottom
drawer of the bureau,” Maisie Jane shouted back from the water closet.

“MAISIE
JANE!” Jake roared and Maisie Jane shut her eyes. There were two bureaus, and two bottom drawers. Even though she’d shown Jake where she’d put his shirts, she just knew he’d opened the wrong bottom drawer.

“MAISIE
JANE!” Jake roared again.

Maisie
Jane could feel her stomach drop. She hurried to the bedroom, saying a whole bunch of bad words in her head and then apologized to God and then prayed, please, please, please don’t let it be the bottom drawer. It was.

Jake
was standing by the bed, and he’d emptied the bottom drawer of dime novels onto the bed.

Jake’s
eyes drilled into her. “Would you like to explain this?”

“There’re
not mine, Jake,” Maisie exclaimed. “They belonged to Mr. or Mrs. Madison.”

Jake
snatched up one of the books. “Did you or did you not go through all the things in this house?”

Maisie
Jane nodded. “Mostly, I haven’t moved much of their things, because you said they might change their minds and come back.”

Jake
tried to dampen down his temper. “Maisie Jane Maddox. You knew these… indecent books were here didn’t you?”

Maisie
Jane nodded again.

“Did
you read any of this filth?” Jake demanded.

Maisie
Jane dropped her eyes.

“Look
at me Maisie Jane and don’t you dare lie to me.” Jake said ominously.

Maisie
Jane dropped her eyes again but she could feel her face turning red. Her lower lip started quivering and she barely nodded.

“How
many?” Jake demanded. “And, look at me!”

Maisie
Jane looked up and met his furious eyes. “Six. That’s all Jake, just six. There’s lots of them in that drawer and another box under the bed that I never touched. Honest. Only six, Jake.”

“One
was too many!” Jake yelled. “One paragraph was too much. I can’t believe you’d read this smut!”

“I
don’t know what that means,” Maisie Jane whispered.

“Filth,”
Jake snapped once again trying to bring his temper down. “Filth, indecent, dirty. Don’t tell me you read these books and didn’t know that it was wrong to read them. What have you got to say for yourself?”

“I’m
sorry,” Maisie Jane whispered.

Jake
just stood looking at her. Then, he picked up the pile of books and marched out into the middle of the field and dumped them. Then, he went back inside searched under the bed found the box and carried it outside and the box joined the pile. He stood heaving his breath with anger. He wanted to set fire to it and he would but he couldn’t put flame to that filth until he could stand watch over it to make sure the fire didn’t get out of control. And, he had his woman to deal with, and deal with her he would.

He
marched back into the house. Maisie Jane was in the kitchen, putting pans into dishwater.

“Come
here,” he demanded.

Maisie
Jane gave up all pretense of bravery and started crying, but she walked over to him.

Jake
grabbed her by the arms and gave her a shake and then gave her another. “A husband has a right to teach his wife in the manner of which they will be intimate, Maisie Jane. A husband!  A wife should be learning about those pleasures from her husband!  Not from filth written by perverted men writing about what should be private between a man and a woman. Do you understand that?  I love you Maisie Jane. What is between us is pure and sacred. You can’t defile that by reading that filth.”

Maisie
Jane burst into tears. “You love me?” she asked. “Jake, you never said you loved me.”

Jake
shook her again and then pulled into his arms and rested his chin on her head. “How can you not know that I love you?

“Because
you never said you did!  You never said the words, Jake,” Maisie Jane cried. “Oh, Jake I love you so much.”

Jakes
anger dissolved. “I know you love me, Maisie Jane. And, I should have said the words to you. Sometimes I get caught up thinking like a man and forget that women think different. Those words are not so hard to say. I love you.” He pulled her in close and just rocked for a while. “We had a rough start, but you should know this. I married you because I wanted to marry you. If I’d given it more thought I could probably have found a way around Judge Lement, even if I’d had to kill the evil bastard. I would have, for you. I would have, to protect you. I jumped at the chance to marry you. Maybe I didn’t save you. Maybe I took advantage of you. But, I wanted you so much and nothing was going to stand in my way of having you.”

Maisie
Jane raised her face to him and he kissed her and tucked her head back under his chin.

“Jake,
I’m so glad you love me,” Maisie whispered. “And, I’m so sorry I keep doing bad things.”

Jake
grimaced although Maisie didn’t see it. “Remember, because I’ve already told you this several times. A husband has right to teach a wife what she needs to be taught, and husband has a right to correct his wife when she does wrong.”

Jake
took two steps backward, sat down in the kitchen chair, upended Maisie Jane, sweep her dress and petticoats over her head, pulled down her bloomers and spanked her.

Jake lifted Maisie Jane up and off the horse and dropped her down on the ground on her feet. It was mid-morning and she was hours late showing up to Cora’s.

Maisie
Jane eyes were red-rimmed from crying and her bottom was aching but when she looked up at her husband no fear or anger showed in her eyes, only love.

Jake
smiled back and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “Behave yourself.”

The
moment Maisie Jane entered her kitchen Cora knew something was wrong. “What’s wrong, child?  You’ve been crying.”

Maisie
Jane burst into tears and ran across the room to be enveloped into the older women’s bosoms.

Levi
Campbell came into the kitchen and having raised two daughters in addition to a son, took his leave at his wife’s shooing motion behind Maisie Jane’s back.

“Oh,
child, what’s wrong?” Cora cooed. “Did you and Jake get into an argument?”

“Yes,
no… yes,” Maisie Jane cried and wiped at her tears.

Cora
led her to a kitchen chair, and she started to sit but with a cry jumped back up. “Maisie Jane has Jake hurt you. Did he beat you?” Cora demanded.

“No…”
Maisie wailed. “Jake spanked me this morning!”

“Oh,”
Cora said softly and she sat down at the table. “Did you deserve it?”

Maisie
rubbed her tears away and nodded. “He said I did.”

“He
said?” Cora repeated raising her eyebrows. “What do you think“?

Maisie
Jane nodded again, and Cora got up and tucked her into hug.

“Now,
honey, sometimes it takes a while for new bride to understand what is acceptable to a husband and what isn’t. I’m sure whatever you did, it wasn’t that bad.” Cora soothed.

Maisie
Jane blushed. “Yes it was. The Madison’s left some books behind and I found them. I knew I shouldn’t read them but I did anyway. Then Jake found them.”  She lowered her eyes and whispered. “They were dirty books.”

“Oh
my,” Cora exclaimed. “Well, I’ve heard of such things, but I’ve never seen or read one. I think even my Levi would be furious if I did. No, I don’t think it; I know it for a fact. If that’s how you misbehaved I have to agree with Jake. I’ve got a good mind to take a hairbrush to you myself, young lady, and would if you were my daughter.”

Maisie
Jane’s eyes flooded with tears. “Cora, why can’t I think things through right?  Why do I do bad things when I know they’re bad?”

“You’re a sweet child Maisie Jane, but someone has done you a great disservice and spoiled you rotten. It sounds to me like Jake is doing his part as your husband in trying to unspoil you. Now, let’s be done with this. We’ve got work to do.”

Maisie
Jane rested her head on the woman’s shoulder for a moment longer. “I wish you were my mother, Cora. I never had a mother.”

“You
had one child, but she was taken too early.”  Cora said shaking her finger at Maisie Jane. “You best not want me for a mother Maisie Jane. I was very strict and put up with no nonsense!” Cora laughed. “A lot like that handsome husband of yours!’

Maisie
Jane, put apple pies in the oven and went back to her task of mending a sock. “I hope these pies turn out, I think Jake will like them.”

Cora
looked up from her sewing. “There’s not a man alive that doesn’t like sweets. They’ll tell you they don’t care for them, but put a piece of pie or cake in front of them and its’ gone in two shakes. Honey, why don’t you go lie down for a little while, you’ve been standing up all day.”

Maisie
Jane smiled but it was a weak one. “It hurts to much to sit. How old do have to be before you’re too old to spank?”

Cora
chuckled. “I’d think that’s about the time, you’re spanking your own grandchildren.”

“Really?”
Maisie Jane gasped.

Cora
laughed and shook her head. “No, not really, honey. The spankings will stop when you grow up enough that you don’t need them.”

Maisie
Jane didn’t look too thrilled with that answer.

Snow
was coming down in big fat flakes when Jake arrived. He came inside and had a cup of coffee with Levi. The men talked cattle, and the winter feedings as Cora was finishing up her husband’s supper and Maisie Jane was packing up her basket.

“As
soon as this storm is over I’m going into Elco,” Jake told Levi. “I’ll be taking the wagon in for another supply run before full on winter hits. I’ve got good idea now what staples we’ll be using the most. If you make up a list I’ll be glad to pick up what you need.”

Levi
nodded in agreement.

Maisie
Jane was wrapping up in a shawl when Cora went scurrying off and came back with a sheepskin lined boys coat. “Put this on Maisie Jane,” she ordered. “I found this tucked back in some old stuff, keep it, we don’t have any use for it.”

Jake
ducked his head. “I’ll be getting Maisie Jane a winter coat when we go to town. I hadn’t forgotten.”

Cora
touched Jake on the shoulder gently. “I wasn’t shaming you Jake for not providing. But, she can’t keep running around in the cold with just a shawl. This will do until you can get to town or afford better. It’s a good coat, belong to our boy before he outgrew it.”

“Thank
you, Cora you’re a thoughtful woman.”

Maisie
Jane stood by Jake’s horse waiting for him to lift her up, but instead he took the shawl from over her arm and wrapped it around it around her head and shoulders and rubbed her cheek with his knuckle.

“I’m
sorry,” Jake said. “I should have gotten you a coat on my first trip to town. I should have realized that you didn’t have one.”

“Cora
didn’t mean to hurt your feelings, Jake,” Maisie Jane said. “She gave me the coat as an act of kindness.”

“I
know, but I am ashamed that I didn’t think of your comfort first.”

Maisie
Jane leaned forward and kissed him. “You’re thinking of it now, and that’s all that matters.”

Jake
lifted her up into the saddle, and Maisie Jane ‘ouched!’ before he handed her the basket and swung up behind her.

“If
you’re really thinking of my comfort, Jake,” Maisie said as they rode off. “How about no more spankings. It hurts sitting on this hard leather!”

Jake
chuckled. “Nice try, little darling, but no. I guess I could add some padding to your bloomers.”

“Eighteen inches so far,” Jake said coming into the kitchen the next morning. “We’ll be sitting this out for a bit.”

“How
long?” Maisie Jane asked.

“It
will stop when it stops, darling.” Jake said pulling her close. “I’ve been looking forward to some time with just us.”

“We
can’t spend all our time in bed, Jake,” Maisie Jane said.

“We
can try,” Jake said guiding her backwards toward the bedroom. “How’s the bottom?”

“Almost
as sore as it was last night,” Maisie admitted grinning at him as she walked backward.

“Well,
we know how to work around that problem,” Jake said very determined. “That’s one of the reasons I bring the saddle in every night. I never know when it’s going to come in handy.”

Maisie
Jane wiggled out from under the covers, lying on her stomach. Except for a few trips out of bed to stoke up the fires Jake was making good on his promise to spend the day in bed. Only, this last time he’d stoked the fire up too hot and the bedroom was overly warm. They’d just had a marathon bout of…
sex
. Maisie Jane knew the word from the dirty books and Jake had used it a few times but again, it was one of those words that she couldn’t say because she was supposed to be a lady. Jake was spread-eagled across the bed as he was prone to do when he was had exhausted himself and his
penis
was shrunken again. Jake had his eyes closed and he’d stopped breathing so hard. She thought he was asleep. She wiggled down to where she was eye level with his penis. It looked kind of funny all shriveled up. She knew it would get big again. At first she’d been afraid of it, but not now and she kind of liked how it jumped and grew when he got near her and she had touched it the other night.

Maisie
Jane scooted closer and bent down and kissed it. It gave a little hitch but that’s all. She kissed it again, and stuck out her tongue and touched it and then withdrew her tongue back into her mouth. It didn’t taste nasty.

Jake’s
eyes opened the second Maisie Jane’s lips touched him. He closed them so he could barely see her through his eyelashes. His beautiful little Maisie Jane… so curious, so receptive to new ideas and new ways to play.

Her
little red tongue came out and rolled around his head, and there was a major jolt of response. Her eyes widened and she tried it again and again. There was an immediate reaction. She took her fingertip and stroked it up and back and he went to half-mast. Then, she cupped her hand around his shaft and went up and down and bent down and kissed the head again. He went to full arousal, hard, stiff and aching.

Maisie
just looked at it and smiled with an amazed look of discovery.

Jake
opened his eyes. “You made it come up, what are you going to do about it?”

Maisie
sat up on her knees. “What can I do?”

“Climb
on and see?” Jake suggested.

Maisie
looked hesitant and Jake reached for her. “Come on, darling, I’ll show you how. Put your knees on each side of my hips and straddle me. Now take me inside, slowly, slowly so you don’t hurt yourself. That’s a girl, take me all in,” Jake crooned. “Now ride me darling, up and back, up and back. Harder, harder, baby.”  Jake reached down and went after her little nubbin with his thumb and she became a wild woman.

Maisie
lay spread-eagled on top of her husband, panting as hard as he was and wishing she had something to take off because she was so hot.

Jake
pulled her upward so he could kiss her. “Woman!  How can such a tiny little thing as you pack such a big wallop?”

Maisie
didn’t answer she burrowed into his chest feeling a bit of satisfaction herself.

“Jake,
can I ask you something?”

“Anything,
darling.”

“Why
does your… you know… look different from other boys?

Jake
stiffened and raised his head. “And, just how do you know my ‘
you know’
is different?” he demanded.

Maisie
Jane propped her chin up on her hands, still lying on his chest. “Because I’ve seen what boys look like, and you look different.”

Jake
sat up and dumped her on the bed looking furious.

“Maisie
Jane Maddox you’re about two seconds from the ass paddling of your life. Explain, now!”

Maisie
Jane rolled a little distance to protect her backside. “Babies, and little boys, Jake. I’m a girl, I’ve helped change baby diapers.”

“Oh,”
Jake said nearly collapsing with relief. “So you haven’t seen…  you haven’t…”

Maisie
Jane giggled. “I’ve never seen any boy except you, over the age of two. But, Jake you do look different.”

Jake
lay back against a pillow and dragged her back to him, and gave her a light swat. “I look different because I was circumcised.”

“What’s
that?”

“A
bit of skin was removed and pulled away. It was done when I was baby. I had some kind of infection and that’s what the doctor did to cure it. I was told it’s something they do to all Jewish baby boys. This is where I was cut.”  Jake pointed to the cut lines on his penis.

“Poor
baby,” Maisie Jane said looking closely.

“You
can always kiss and make it better,” Jake teased.

Maisie
Jane laughed and threw herself around his neck. “Tell me you love me!’

Jake
kissed her soundly. “Yes, little darling I love you!”