of,” Uncle Peter said and laughed. “Then I’d cover it all up and slide it safely back behind the hay where no young lad coming up to pitch hay down to the animals would see it. Oh, I’m a sneaky one.”
“How much?” Sean asked again. He seemed much more serious than Pat or Charlie.
“One hundred and seventy-five dollars,” Uncle Peter said.
“Saints preserve us!” Aunt Mary exclaimed.
“Fortunately,” he said, “Mr. Braxton let me know late last winter that he could allow us to fall a little behind in our mortgage payments but he might not be the one holding the note by the time the crops came in.”
“How come so much money for one piece of furniture, Pa?” Pat asked.
“The wood and the design match the set the Widow Dixon already has,” he said, “but it was the carving that she was really interested in, and willing to pay for.”
“But it’s such a shame you have to give it away,” Aunt Mary said.
“I’m not giving away anything,” he reminded her. “What I’m doing is keeping our house and our farm.”
“How are you going to get it down, Papa?” Sissie asked. “It’s too big to go down the ladder.”
“Oh, no!” he said and he smiled. “I guess then we’ll have to wrap it all up in blankets and then put some ropes around it and lower it right down over the edge of the floor there. Right down into the wagon and out the big door and into Culver City.”
“That’s a good idea!” the little girl squealed.
“And now if all of you will excuse me,” Uncle Peter said, “I have some carving to do.”
“Let’s go, children,” Aunt Mary said.
“Pa?” Charlie asked.
“Mmm?” his dad answered.
“Can Michael and I go swimming?”
“ May Michael and I go swimming,” Aunt Mary corrected him.
“May Michael and I go swimming?”
“I guess some boys will do just about anything to get out of a Saturday night bath, won’t they?” he asked and then he nodded his head. “Don’t either one of you swim alone,” he said.
“No, sir,” Charlie answered.
The girls went down the ladder first and then all the boys except Charlie and me. Uncle Peter had pulled out the other door, set it up on some sawhorses and was getting out some wood chisels that looked really sharp.
“You do know how to swim, don’t you?” Charlie asked me.
“Uh huh,” I said, “but I’m going to need to borrow a swim suit.”
“A what?”
“A bathing suit. I didn’t exactly pack one with me.”
“You don’t need a bathing suit,” he shook his head and said. “You’re going to be naked.”
Chapter 14
To the River
“I’m going to be what ?” I asked but Charlie was already scampering down the ladder.
“You boys be home for chores,” Uncle Peter called out.
“Yes, Pa.”
“Charlie!” I hurried down after him. Everyone else was gone. “What did you mean when you said . . . ”
“Warming up, ain’t it?” he asked me and he headed out the main double doors. “Going to be right hot this afternoon.”
“Wait up,” I said.
“One way or another,” he said, “I’m going to have to get wet today and I figure I’d rather do it swimming in some nice cool water than sitting in some old bath tub in the summer kitchen.”
I walked along beside him. Down the driveway and out to the road.
“There was a bath tub in your kitchen?” I asked. “I didn’t see it.”
“Well, it wasn’t there during dinner,” he said. “Never is. Usually on Saturday after supper Sean or Brigid will fetch it from the summer kitchen and bring it on in but during the summer it just stays out there.”
“Bring it on in where?”
“Into the kitchen,” he said. “Isn’t that what we’re talking about?”
“And instead it stays where?” I asked.
“The summer kitchen,” he
“How much?” Sean asked again. He seemed much more serious than Pat or Charlie.
“One hundred and seventy-five dollars,” Uncle Peter said.
“Saints preserve us!” Aunt Mary exclaimed.
“Fortunately,” he said, “Mr. Braxton let me know late last winter that he could allow us to fall a little behind in our mortgage payments but he might not be the one holding the note by the time the crops came in.”
“How come so much money for one piece of furniture, Pa?” Pat asked.
“The wood and the design match the set the Widow Dixon already has,” he said, “but it was the carving that she was really interested in, and willing to pay for.”
“But it’s such a shame you have to give it away,” Aunt Mary said.
“I’m not giving away anything,” he reminded her. “What I’m doing is keeping our house and our farm.”
“How are you going to get it down, Papa?” Sissie asked. “It’s too big to go down the ladder.”
“Oh, no!” he said and he smiled. “I guess then we’ll have to wrap it all up in blankets and then put some ropes around it and lower it right down over the edge of the floor there. Right down into the wagon and out the big door and into Culver City.”
“That’s a good idea!” the little girl squealed.
“And now if all of you will excuse me,” Uncle Peter said, “I have some carving to do.”
“Let’s go, children,” Aunt Mary said.
“Pa?” Charlie asked.
“Mmm?” his dad answered.
“Can Michael and I go swimming?”
“ May Michael and I go swimming,” Aunt Mary corrected him.
“May Michael and I go swimming?”
“I guess some boys will do just about anything to get out of a Saturday night bath, won’t they?” he asked and then he nodded his head. “Don’t either one of you swim alone,” he said.
“No, sir,” Charlie answered.
The girls went down the ladder first and then all the boys except Charlie and me. Uncle Peter had pulled out the other door, set it up on some sawhorses and was getting out some wood chisels that looked really sharp.
“You do know how to swim, don’t you?” Charlie asked me.
“Uh huh,” I said, “but I’m going to need to borrow a swim suit.”
“A what?”
“A bathing suit. I didn’t exactly pack one with me.”
“You don’t need a bathing suit,” he shook his head and said. “You’re going to be naked.”
Chapter 14
To the River
“I’m going to be what ?” I asked but Charlie was already scampering down the ladder.
“You boys be home for chores,” Uncle Peter called out.
“Yes, Pa.”
“Charlie!” I hurried down after him. Everyone else was gone. “What did you mean when you said . . . ”
“Warming up, ain’t it?” he asked me and he headed out the main double doors. “Going to be right hot this afternoon.”
“Wait up,” I said.
“One way or another,” he said, “I’m going to have to get wet today and I figure I’d rather do it swimming in some nice cool water than sitting in some old bath tub in the summer kitchen.”
I walked along beside him. Down the driveway and out to the road.
“There was a bath tub in your kitchen?” I asked. “I didn’t see it.”
“Well, it wasn’t there during dinner,” he said. “Never is. Usually on Saturday after supper Sean or Brigid will fetch it from the summer kitchen and bring it on in but during the summer it just stays out there.”
“Bring it on in where?”
“Into the kitchen,” he said. “Isn’t that what we’re talking about?”
“And instead it stays where?” I asked.
“The summer kitchen,” he
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