the boy's complaints about the injury itself weren't enough, he continually asked when he was going to get the ice cream Morgan had promised and then failed to deliver.
"You ought to go find him, Julie, and make him buy me my ice cream," he told her while he watched her flour the chicken she intended to fry for supper. "He did promise and he oughtn't to make promises and then not keep them."
With the back of her hand she pushed her glasses up again and dipped another piece of chicken in the egg and milk batter.
"He promised me ice cream, too, Willy, and you don't hear me whining about it, do you?"
"Well, but you don't count. You're a grown-up, and it's all right to break promises to grown-ups."
Katharine walked into the room just then, but she did not provide a diversion from this unpleasant topic. Though coming down a different path, she reached the same junction.
"Julie, dear, I simply cannot get rid of this headache." She wiped the back of her right hand across her forehead dramatically. "I have taken the last spoonful of that elixir poor Dr. Opper gave me, and now I am in pain again."
"As soon as I finish here, Mama, I'll go ask the marshal to open Dr. Opper's house and I'll see if I can find anything," Julie sighed. This morning it had been a stomach potion, and last night a sleeping powder, neither of which had been located. "Do you know what it looked like or tasted like? Did he give it a name?"
Katharine turned her eyes toward the ceiling and thought for a long while.
"It tasted rather like burnt sugar," she answered slowly. "Or was that the sleeping powder? No, the sleeping powder tasted like lemon, and the stomach potion was very bitter. Yes, the headache elixir tasted like burnt sugar, I'm positive."
She smiled triumphantly. Julie sighed again and wiped her floury hands on her apron.
"I'll go find the marshal, but I don't think we'll have any better luck this time. The doctor never labeled any of his bottles, and I really wonder that he didn't kill anyone with the wrong mixture. They all look alike."
"Oh, dear."
Katharine sat down at the table beside Willy and her smile melted away.
"Do you think it might be unsafe, even if you found something that tasted like burnt sugar?"
"Possibly. I'm not a doctor, Mama, and I don't know anything about the medicines Dr. Opper gave you."
Except that they cost nearly every cent we could spare from Papa's wages and none of them really did any good , she said to herself.
Again Katharine sank into thought, this time staring at the checkered tablecloth.
"Do you suppose that Mr. Morgan could help you?" she suggested. "He did say he was a doctor once, didn't he? Why don't you go find him and ask him if he'd help you look for my medicines."
Julie groaned. She knew exactly what would come next. Already Willy's pout had turned to a wide grin.
"And then you could ask him about my ice cream, too," the boy reminded her.
* * *
Julie went to McCrory's first, where Simon and his ever-present companion sat on the porch. Lucas waited until she had climbed the steps before he spat.
"As a matter of fact, I haven't seen Del all day, Miss Julie," Simon answered. "I was busy unloading wagons this morning, though, so I might've missed him. Did you try over at the Castle?"
"I'd prefer to avoid the place if I can."
"Can't say as I blame you. Not exactly the place for a young lady like yourself."
"Is there somewhere else I might look for him?"
Lucas shifted his weight to his other foot and spat again, then drawled, "He might be to home, ya know. He got pretty drunk last night after them folks took all the flowers off'n his Amy's grave."
"I could hardly go looking for him at his house."
Simon offered a solution.
"Winnie Upshaw sort of keeps house for him, and I just seen her go over to the post office. You could ask her if he's home and then maybe she could go with you if he is."
"I'm afraid I don't know Miss Upshaw."
Lucas
"You ought to go find him, Julie, and make him buy me my ice cream," he told her while he watched her flour the chicken she intended to fry for supper. "He did promise and he oughtn't to make promises and then not keep them."
With the back of her hand she pushed her glasses up again and dipped another piece of chicken in the egg and milk batter.
"He promised me ice cream, too, Willy, and you don't hear me whining about it, do you?"
"Well, but you don't count. You're a grown-up, and it's all right to break promises to grown-ups."
Katharine walked into the room just then, but she did not provide a diversion from this unpleasant topic. Though coming down a different path, she reached the same junction.
"Julie, dear, I simply cannot get rid of this headache." She wiped the back of her right hand across her forehead dramatically. "I have taken the last spoonful of that elixir poor Dr. Opper gave me, and now I am in pain again."
"As soon as I finish here, Mama, I'll go ask the marshal to open Dr. Opper's house and I'll see if I can find anything," Julie sighed. This morning it had been a stomach potion, and last night a sleeping powder, neither of which had been located. "Do you know what it looked like or tasted like? Did he give it a name?"
Katharine turned her eyes toward the ceiling and thought for a long while.
"It tasted rather like burnt sugar," she answered slowly. "Or was that the sleeping powder? No, the sleeping powder tasted like lemon, and the stomach potion was very bitter. Yes, the headache elixir tasted like burnt sugar, I'm positive."
She smiled triumphantly. Julie sighed again and wiped her floury hands on her apron.
"I'll go find the marshal, but I don't think we'll have any better luck this time. The doctor never labeled any of his bottles, and I really wonder that he didn't kill anyone with the wrong mixture. They all look alike."
"Oh, dear."
Katharine sat down at the table beside Willy and her smile melted away.
"Do you think it might be unsafe, even if you found something that tasted like burnt sugar?"
"Possibly. I'm not a doctor, Mama, and I don't know anything about the medicines Dr. Opper gave you."
Except that they cost nearly every cent we could spare from Papa's wages and none of them really did any good , she said to herself.
Again Katharine sank into thought, this time staring at the checkered tablecloth.
"Do you suppose that Mr. Morgan could help you?" she suggested. "He did say he was a doctor once, didn't he? Why don't you go find him and ask him if he'd help you look for my medicines."
Julie groaned. She knew exactly what would come next. Already Willy's pout had turned to a wide grin.
"And then you could ask him about my ice cream, too," the boy reminded her.
* * *
Julie went to McCrory's first, where Simon and his ever-present companion sat on the porch. Lucas waited until she had climbed the steps before he spat.
"As a matter of fact, I haven't seen Del all day, Miss Julie," Simon answered. "I was busy unloading wagons this morning, though, so I might've missed him. Did you try over at the Castle?"
"I'd prefer to avoid the place if I can."
"Can't say as I blame you. Not exactly the place for a young lady like yourself."
"Is there somewhere else I might look for him?"
Lucas shifted his weight to his other foot and spat again, then drawled, "He might be to home, ya know. He got pretty drunk last night after them folks took all the flowers off'n his Amy's grave."
"I could hardly go looking for him at his house."
Simon offered a solution.
"Winnie Upshaw sort of keeps house for him, and I just seen her go over to the post office. You could ask her if he's home and then maybe she could go with you if he is."
"I'm afraid I don't know Miss Upshaw."
Lucas
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