Will O Wisp (4 page)

Gracie nodded and added, “I'll take
care of Shana. The Indians haven't been on the war path in years,
so she's safe from them. If it don't look like staying on the farm
is working out, Shana can always come home with Mr. Orie when he
comes.”

Chapter Three

The next morning, Melinda lingered
with Madeline at the kitchen table after breakfast. Agnes was doing
the kitchen cleanup from breakfast by herself. “I thought Shana was
supposed to dry dishes for me.”

“
She was, but something
came up,” Melinda said.

“
You're on your own for the
next month,” Madeline added.

“
I should say, just when I
was getting used to the help. Why?” Agnes asked.

Melinda said, “Shana is going to
Gracie's farm with her for a month. We hope the stay in the country
will be good for her.”

“
Who? Gracie or Shana?”
Agnes asked.

“
Both of them,” Madeline
said, smiling as if that was a good joke. Then she added, “I
remember the last time Gracie went to her farm when things didn't
go so well. Should we be worried about them?”

“
Things didn't go well at
all. Remember, Agnes? A man living close to the farm was murdered.
Gracie was shot at while she was mushroom hunting in her timber .
She was scared half to death she'd be the next person killed. Good
thing the Indians were looking out for her. The only good that came
out of her stay was Millard Sokal.”

Madeline perked up immediately. “Yes,
and that was quite a surprise, wasn't it?”

“
What has Millard Sokal got
to do with anything?” Agnes asked.

“
Millard purposed to Gracie
when they were young. She was taking care of her elderly parents so
she turned him down. He married another woman.

Last year, Millard tried to help
Gracie at the farm when she was in danger. Now that he's a widower,
he would marry her in a heartbeat if she wasn't so stubborn. When
he asked again, she said no, but you didn't hear that from me. You
sure won't hear it from Gracie,” Melinda declared.

“
Why not? That's a good
romantic story, isn't it, Agnes?” Madeline probed.

All ears, Agnes nodded as
she washed the dishes.
“I should
say.”

“
Gracie just isn't much
about romance these days. Believe me, I told her she was a fool for
not marrying Millard. He's such a nice man with a good farm and a
nice house,” Melinda said. She steepled her hands under her chin
and stared moodily at the ancient maple tree outside the kitchen
window.

“
So surely, Mr. Sokal will
be around this time to help Gracie out if she needs it,” Madeline
surmised.

“
I don't know if Gracie
would let him if he knew she was at the farm. You heard her tell
Thad not to tell Millard she'd be there. What worries me more is
how she will get along with Shana. Just the two of them, together.
She's never been good with children. I'm afraid Shana is in for a
time of it when she goes against Gracie's wishes,” Melinda
worried.

“
On the other hand,
Gracie's strictness is what might be needed to calm that young lady
down. Maybe Shana has finally met her match,” Madeline stated. “If
you're so worried, why don't you go along to help Gracie with the
girl.”

Melinda gasped sharply. “Where did you
get a crazy idea like that?”

“
You could act as a
mediator of sorts between the two of them if you think Gracie is
getting too strict with the girl,” Madeline suggested.

Melinda bristled.
“
If you think that would help, why don't
you volunteer to go to the country with Gracie? It has been years
since I spent time on a farm as a little child. That was back when
I had to live with my Uncle Jack and Aunt Lizzy after my mother
died. I didn't mind it, but I've probably forgotten all they showed
me about farming.”

Madeline reflected wryly.
“
I've never had anything to do with farming
or the outdoors. I'm from New York. In case you've forgotten,
that's a big city. Besides, you're closer to Gracie than I am.
She'd tolerate you better than me if you offered to go with her. I
heard her tell a woman at church the other day I'm the newcomer at
Moser Mansion. Imagine that, after I have been here this long. I'm
still a newcomer to Gracie.”

“
Gracie once told me a
person had to stay in one spot thirty years not to be called a
newcomer around here,” Melinda said with a grin. “You still have a
few years to go.”

“
Oh brother!” Madeline
expelled. She watched Melinda's face sadden. “You really are
worried about Gracie and Shana going to the farm, aren't
you?”

Melinda shook her head yes.

“
How about I do a tea
reading for you to see what the future holds for Gracie? Perhaps,
that will ease your worries if the leaves read well for Gracie and
Shana,” Madeline suggested.

“
All right,” Melinda said,
thinking a prediction about the future wouldn't hurt. It was better
than not knowing what Gracie might get into out there alone in the
country.

Madeline said, “Agnes, pour a cup of
boiling water over a pan with tea leaves sprinkled in the bottom?
Let the leaves steep a few minutes and pour me a cup of the
tea.”

“
Don't you want the leaves
strained out before you drink it?” Agnes asked.

“
No, I don't,” Madeline
said curtly.

“
All right, but you will be
straining the leaves through your teeth. I never heard of such a
thing,” Agnes complained.

“
Better yet, make enough
tea for two. Melinda's going to join me. When I'm done reading the
leaves you can strain them out of the hot tea for us if that makes
you happy, Agnes,” Madeline said dryly. “Be sure and put the cups
on saucers. I'll need a saucer for sure under mine.

The tea kettle was already boiling on
the back of the wood cook stove so it didn't take Agnes long to
steep the tea. She set a cup in front of each lady and backed away
to watch.

“
Blow first to cool the tea
down and take a sip, Melinda.” Madeline picked up her cup and blew
into it.

In a matter of minutes, the women had
their tea drank. Madeline put the saucer over her tea cup and
turned the cup upside down so the leaves would fall out on the
saucer. She set the cup and saucer on the table and spun the cup
around. Next she turned the cup and saucer back up with the saucer
on top of the cup. She tapped the bottom of the saucer to put all
the leaves back in the cup.

Madeline eased the saucer off the cup
and stared into the bottom. “Hmmmm,” she said softly as she
concentrated on the arrangement of the leaves. Suddenly, she
frowned, let out a puff of air when her reading was done and
flopped back against her chair.

“
What do you see? You're
really scaring me. Tell me quickly,” Melinda pleaded.

Madeline rubbed her forehead wearily.
“I see you have a right to worry about Gracie and
Shana.”

“
Why?” Melinda asked
sharply.

“
I see in the leaves that
Venus is going to be close to the earth right when Gracie will be
at the farm. That makes crazy things happen. I'm here to tell you,
she will have problems of all kinds at the farm,” Madeline
stated.

“
Oh no, what kind of
problems?” Melinda groaned.

“
I can't tell exactly what
the problems are, but I see danger for Gracie and Shana in a large
group of trees,” Madeline said.

“
That would be Gracie's
timber. Go on now. Tell me what else you see,” Melinda said,
wringing her hands.

“
I see some vague image
lurking among the trees that makes me very uneasy.” Madelyn brought
the cup closer to her face and stared into it to reread the leaves.
“Whatever it is can be seen through and moves about quickly to try
to stay out of sight.”

Agnes grunted. “That's just the left
over stained tea water you're seeing through in the bottom of the
cup. Miss Melinda, you shouldn't let her worry you so. This kind of
seeing the future with tea leaves is downright silly. No one can do
such a thing.”

“
Oh brother! Don't you have
work to do?” Madeline barked.

Agnes hissed and sputtered like a hot
teakettle as she hustled back to the dish pan.

“
Now from what I see,
Melinda, Gracie could use you along to keep her and the girl from
doing something foolish. This won't be a safe stay on that farm for
them. I'm sure of it,” Madeline predicted.

“
I don't know how much help
I could be,” worried Melinda. “Since when has Gracie ever listened
to me.”

“
Ah, that is the thing. You
already know that something is going to happen if Gracie isn't
cautious. What you need to do is keep her out of that timber for
sure.”

“
I suppose that would be a
good idea,” Melinda said. “It's just I doubt Gracie's going to let
me go to the farm with her if I tell her about this tea leaf
reading. She'll think it's nonsense. She won't want me fretting
about her safety all the time we're at the farm,” Melinda
said.

“
Don't tell her about any
of this. Come up with a reason to go with her that she will like,”
Madeline said.

Melinda looked genuinely puzzled.
“Like what?”

“
You want to see where she
lived. Get some fresh country air because you're tired of the city.
Help her with Shana since she isn't the motherly type to name a few
reasons,” suggested Madeline.

“
She might accept almost
all of that except I have never had a child, either. She wouldn't
exactly go for that last one,” Melinda reasoned.

“
Fine, then just say
Gracie's going to need a voice of reason to keep her from being too
hard on the girl when she loses her temper,” Madeline said
bluntly.

Melinda smiled weakly. “Now that's a
reason Gracie would understand. All right. As much as I was looking
forward to the peace and quiet around here for a month without
Gracie and Shana, this sounds serious. Maybe I'd better see if I
can convince Gracie to let me go with her.”

Meanwhile, Orie, Molly and Gracie were
in the library breaking the news to Shana that she'd be spending a
month on Gracie's farm, Three Oaks.

Molly sat at her desk. Orie pulled up
a chair for Gracie, and Shana took the love seat. The grownups eyed
the girl. She straightened up on the love seat, fearing something
was about to happen. Something she wasn't going to like. “Sure and
it seems like something is in the wind. What is the lecture about
this time?”

Molly began, “Shana dear, we aren't
going to lecture you about anything. We have come up with a great
plan about how you're going to spend part of your summer thanks to
Miss Gracie.”

Shana eyed Gracie. “Do tell me what
would this great plan be?”

Orie said, “Had you heard Miss Gracie
is going to spend some time on her farm to help her renter out
while he and his family are gone on a trip?”

“
Sure and I have,” Shana
said, looking suspiciously at him. “Do go on.”

“
Well, Miss Gracie has
suggested she'd like to take you with her to visit her farm. Fresh
air would do you good, and you would get to experience a different
lifestyle,” Orie explained.

“
It's going to be fun.
Something different than city life,” Molly encouraged.

“
Well now, you must tell me
what is the catch?” Shana asked suspiciously.

“
No catch,” Orie said,
running his fingers through his dark wavy hair. “Miss Gracie will
only be gone a month. We thought she could use the company while
she's out there alone for one thing. Like Mama Molly said, it will
be a good experience for you.”

Shana turned her attention to Gracie.
“What do you say for certain, Miss Gracie?”

“
I agree with everything
your folks said. Living on a farm didn't hurt me atall. It sure
won't hurt you to try it for a month, and I won't have to be there
all by myself,” Gracie said, hoping that sounded a little bit like
she needed Shana's company.

“
There is one rule that I
expect you to obey,” Orie said.

“
Sure and I was certain
there would be something I wouldn't like about leavin' home. You're
trying to get rid of me for bringin' Timothy O'Leary home with me,
aren't you?” Shana said with tears shining in her eyes.

Molly went to the love seat, sat down
and put an arm around Shana. “That isn't what this is about at all.
We honestly thought you would like to get away for a while and do
something different. The month will go by fast. You will see. Now
listen to Papa Orie.”

“
All I was going to say
was, you must do as Miss Gracie tells you. Mind her at all times.
She doesn't need to have to worry about you getting lost or hurt
because you didn't listen to her. Living in the country is
different than in town. You don't know what it's like so pay
attention when Miss Gracie talks to you. Is that understood?” He
gave Shana a strict level gaze.

“
This tis
for certain then. Do I have to go?” The girl
sniffled and wiped her nose on her blouse sleeve.