their destination, Oz and Lou exchanged a glance. Excitement, nervousness, panic, and hope competed for space on the small landscapes of their faces.
The dirt lane nudged over to the north as it cleared a rise. Here the land splayed out into a broad valley of simple beauty. Green meadows were bracketed by vast forests of every wood the state boasted. Next to the meadows were cleared patchwork fields that yielded to split-rail corrals, weathered gray and wrapped with naked rambler rose vines. Anchoring the corrals was a large two-story plank barn, topped by a gambrel roof with rain hood, all covered by cedar shingles fashioned with froe and maul. It had large double doors at each end, with a set of hay doors above. A projecting timber was immediately above this portal and used to support the hay fork dangling from it. Three cows lay in the grass in one protected space, while a roan horse grazed alone in a small snake-rail corral. Lou counted a half dozen sheared sheep in another pen. And behind that was another fenced space where enormous hogs rolled in a wallow of mud, like giant babies at play. A pair of mules were doubletreed to a large wagon that sat by the barn, the sun reflecting off its tin-wrapped wooden wheels. Near the barn was a farmhouse of modest proportion.
There were other buildings and lean-tos, large and small, scattered here and there, most of plank. One structure situated in an overhang of maple trees looked to be formed from logs chinked with mud and seemed half-buried in the earth. The cleared fields, which sloped at their ends like the curl of hair, sprang outward from the central farm buildings like spokes on a wheel. And rising high behind all of this were the Appalachians, making this good-sized farm property seem but a child’s model by comparison.
Lou was finally here, the place her father had spent much of his life writing about yet had never returned to. She drew in several quick breaths, and sat very erect as they drove on to the house, where Louisa Mae Cardinal, the woman who had helped to raise their father, awaited them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Inside the farmhouse the nurse was advising the woman as to Amanda’s condition and other essentials, while the woman listened intently and asked pointed questions.
“And we might as well get
my
requirements out of the way,” said the nurse finally. “I suffer from animal and pollen allergies, and you need to make sure that their presence here is kept to a minimum. Under no circumstances should animals be allowed in the house. I have certain specific dietary needs. I will provide you with a list. I will also require a free reign in overseeing the children. I know that falls outside my formal duties, but those two obviously need discipline, and I intend to so provide it. That girl, in particular, is a real piece of work. I’m sure you can appreciate my frankness. Now you can show me to my room.”
Louisa Mae Cardinal said to the nurse, “I
appreciate
you coming out. Fact is, we ain’t got room for you.”
The tall nurse stood as erect as she could, but she was still shorter than Louisa Mae Cardinal. “Excuse me?” she said with indignation.
“Tell Sam out there to take you on back to the train station. Another train north be coming through. Rare place for a walk while you wait.”
“I was retained to come here and look after my patient.”
“I look after Amanda just fine.”
“You are not qualified to do so.”
“Sam and Hank, they need get on back, honey.”
“I need to call somebody about this.” The nurse was so red-faced that she looked as though
she
might become a patient.
“Nearest phone on down the mountain in Tremont. But you can call the president of these United States, still my home.” Louisa Mae gripped the woman’s elbow with a strength that made the nurse’s eyes flutter. “And we ain’t got to bother Amanda with this.” She guided the woman from the room, closing the door behind them.
“Do you seriously
The dirt lane nudged over to the north as it cleared a rise. Here the land splayed out into a broad valley of simple beauty. Green meadows were bracketed by vast forests of every wood the state boasted. Next to the meadows were cleared patchwork fields that yielded to split-rail corrals, weathered gray and wrapped with naked rambler rose vines. Anchoring the corrals was a large two-story plank barn, topped by a gambrel roof with rain hood, all covered by cedar shingles fashioned with froe and maul. It had large double doors at each end, with a set of hay doors above. A projecting timber was immediately above this portal and used to support the hay fork dangling from it. Three cows lay in the grass in one protected space, while a roan horse grazed alone in a small snake-rail corral. Lou counted a half dozen sheared sheep in another pen. And behind that was another fenced space where enormous hogs rolled in a wallow of mud, like giant babies at play. A pair of mules were doubletreed to a large wagon that sat by the barn, the sun reflecting off its tin-wrapped wooden wheels. Near the barn was a farmhouse of modest proportion.
There were other buildings and lean-tos, large and small, scattered here and there, most of plank. One structure situated in an overhang of maple trees looked to be formed from logs chinked with mud and seemed half-buried in the earth. The cleared fields, which sloped at their ends like the curl of hair, sprang outward from the central farm buildings like spokes on a wheel. And rising high behind all of this were the Appalachians, making this good-sized farm property seem but a child’s model by comparison.
Lou was finally here, the place her father had spent much of his life writing about yet had never returned to. She drew in several quick breaths, and sat very erect as they drove on to the house, where Louisa Mae Cardinal, the woman who had helped to raise their father, awaited them.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Inside the farmhouse the nurse was advising the woman as to Amanda’s condition and other essentials, while the woman listened intently and asked pointed questions.
“And we might as well get
my
requirements out of the way,” said the nurse finally. “I suffer from animal and pollen allergies, and you need to make sure that their presence here is kept to a minimum. Under no circumstances should animals be allowed in the house. I have certain specific dietary needs. I will provide you with a list. I will also require a free reign in overseeing the children. I know that falls outside my formal duties, but those two obviously need discipline, and I intend to so provide it. That girl, in particular, is a real piece of work. I’m sure you can appreciate my frankness. Now you can show me to my room.”
Louisa Mae Cardinal said to the nurse, “I
appreciate
you coming out. Fact is, we ain’t got room for you.”
The tall nurse stood as erect as she could, but she was still shorter than Louisa Mae Cardinal. “Excuse me?” she said with indignation.
“Tell Sam out there to take you on back to the train station. Another train north be coming through. Rare place for a walk while you wait.”
“I was retained to come here and look after my patient.”
“I look after Amanda just fine.”
“You are not qualified to do so.”
“Sam and Hank, they need get on back, honey.”
“I need to call somebody about this.” The nurse was so red-faced that she looked as though
she
might become a patient.
“Nearest phone on down the mountain in Tremont. But you can call the president of these United States, still my home.” Louisa Mae gripped the woman’s elbow with a strength that made the nurse’s eyes flutter. “And we ain’t got to bother Amanda with this.” She guided the woman from the room, closing the door behind them.
“Do you seriously
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