#99
Seamus sent Pricilla and the boys to the basement, when the bells rang. "Ye be leavin the wee ones here with their mooother," he announced, "Suisan you go with yer brooothers and be behaving yerself."
Calvin grabbed the recalcitrant little miss and it was like towing a dead weight, until Pricillia came along and added a swat to the bottom.
"Punky, you grab her other hand and help her down the stairs," The housekeeper had a basket of sandwiches and cookies in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other.
"I gotta potty," Suisan tried one last ditch stall to keep from leaving her daddy.
"I'm sure we can fix something up downstairs," and Pricilla said. "move it." Suisan gave a deep sigh and said something under her breath.
Calvin turned astonished eyes on his sister. "Miz 'Cilla, she just said she gave it a good try. That ain't no baby talkin, that's a sneaky girl trick."
"Indeed it is," Cilla replied. "I'm sure her daddy will be interested to know she can talk and understand so well."
Suisan was trying to think a hundred miles a minute. It put her in a position that she didn't want to be. Like the age old question...do you still beat your wife....there was no good answer. So. to the basement they went.
Seamus had Phoebe in bed resting, a baby snuggled in each arm. "There's no goin dooonstairs love, whatever comes, we'll be riding it out right here. Ooohh I wish I had me pipes, me fingers are itchin to play to the glory of God."
For once, Phoebe said a prayer of praise, that her sweet new babies wouldn't hear the strident music. They were sleeping quietly, and as worn out as she was feeling, she need the time to gather her strength. The clan had banded against Seamus, telling him to go way out into the woods to play his pipes, and he reluctantly agreed.
"Seamus, we need your prayers and thanks to God for the safe birth of our babies. We need you to pray for our safety from whatever is coming in the way of weather. I need you here Seamus, please don't leave me to rush out and play your pipes."
Seamus stiffly got down on his knees beside Phoebe's bed and clasp his hands. Trust Phoebe to keep him on the straight and narrow, he smiled as he opened his heart to praise his Lord.
Mark helped Clora down the narrow stairs into the storm shelter and passed cloth covered bowls of sandwiches, cookies and the all important coffee pot and cups. He looked up to see Wyatt walking from the barn.
"Come to the shelter," Mark invited, "I have no idea what is going to happen with that cloud, but it is weather for sure."
"Thanks, it's way to advanced to try and make a run for home. I guess the animals will be Ok in the barn?"
'I pray that the barn will be adequate, not much we can do until we know what's happening." Mark waved his hand for the Sheriff to precede him into the shelter.
The only family unprepared was the family huddled around stove in Donny's big house. No one had explained what the bells meant, so Sally had Cotton bring in a lot of wood, and she cooked rice and beans as Millie had instructed, and then canned venison as a sauce for the filler. Children ate slowly, enjoying the feel, taste and flavor of the precious food in their mouth. It was Cotton who brought up the anxious question they were all thinking.
"Sally, what we gonna do if this goes away, where we gonna go and live, what we gonna eat?" he asked and all the serious kids nodded. They were having problems believing their good fortune.
"Well, I can only tell ya that Donny says being married is forever, until we are really white haired and old. He says it's his duty and job to provide for us, and our duty to help us all by working together. I've been thinking about this ever since we got here. What Donny is asking is something we can do, I mean, we'd do most of it anyway, so doing that in exchange for a place to live, eat and be safe is something I can do. What do you guys think?"
Kids nodded, and Cotton said, "Donny is a really great teacher. He's learning me how to file a ax and how to chop."
"Donny's teaching me, is the correct way to say that Cotton, did you guys see the books in the one room upstairs? I think we can have some sort of school." Sally smiled and asked if anyone wanted seconds. Everyone did.