Cedar Woman (22 page)

“
C
h
a!”
Mary
c
h
i
d
ed
fo
nd
l
y,
“You
wa
n
t
t
o
learn
it
all
now.
C
h
il
d
, you
a
re
but eight-year
s
-o
l
d. T
h
ere is ti
m
e f
o
r all
o
f t
h
is.

Lena
d
i
d
n
’t
k
n
o
w
ho
w
to
e
x
p
r
ess her u
rg
ency
in
learn
i
ng
all
she cou
l
d.
She
just
knew
s
h
e
want
e
d
to
learn
as
m
u
ch
as
she
could
as

qui
c
k
ly as po
ss
ible.

“
I’ll
tell
y
o
u
what,”
Mary
d
eci
d
e
d
,
“I
am
go
i
n
g
to
h
elp
Nel
l
ie
in
t
h
e ga
r
d
e
n
t
o
m
o
r
r
o
w
.
S
h
e
li
k
es
t
o
see
y
o
u
,
s
o
y
ou
c
a
n
g
o
w
it
h
m
e,
and
we will
ask
h
e
r
for
a
n
ice
h
en.
W
ou
l
d
it
p
lease
y
o
u,
Little
Bird
?
”
h
e
r
m
o
t
h
er ask
e
d,
s
m
iling
d
ow
n u
po
n her e
n
dear
i
n
g d
au
ght
e
r
.

“
O
h
a
n!
B
u
t
I
d
on’t
h
a
v
e
to
k
ill
it,
d
o
I
?
”
Le
n
a
q
u
erie
d
.
She
l
ov
e
d to
cook,
a
nd
she
respected
the
ani
m
a
l
s
and
p
l
ants
wh
o
g
a
ve
up
t
h
eir
li
v
es

f
o
r
h
er no
u
rishme
n
t, b
u
t s
h
e
w
as
no
t
pre
p
ared
yet to do
t
h
e
d
ee
d
.

“
No,
o
f
co
ur
se
n
o
t!
I will
ta
k
e
care
o
f it
w
h
i
le
y
o
u
h
elp
Nellie
with
h
er
v
e
g
eta
b
l
es.
Y
o
u
k
n
ow
h
o
w
s
h
e
l
o
v
es
a
v
i
sit
f
r
o
m
yo
u
.
W
h
ile
you s
t
r
i
ng be
a
n
s
o
r
s
h
uck
c
o
r
n
t
oge
t
h
e
r
,
I’
l
l
t
ake
care
o
f
wh
at
needs
t
o
be d
o
ne.”

Evalena
an
d
Jo
se
p
h
C
o
un
t
r
ym
an
retired
t
o a
h
o
use
o
n
Fif
t
h
A
v
e
nue in
t
h
e
n
ear
b
y
t
o
wn
o
f Pee
b
les
sh
o
rtly after Lena
’
s
b
i
r
t
h.
Their
y
o
un
g
est child,
Dean
C
o
untry
m
an,
and
his
wife
Nel
l
ie,
t
o
ok
o
v
er
t
h
e
far
m
.
Mary was
ref
e
rr
i
ng
to
Nellie
C
o
untry
m
an.
Sweet
of
na
t
u
r
e
,
lovely
of
face, Mary
o
ften
w
o
n
d
ered
w
h
y
Nellie
c
ho
se
t
o
b
ec
o
m
e
a
f
a
r
m
er’s
wife.
In a
n
y
e
v
e
n
t,
s
h
e
was
g
lad
of
it,
as
Dean
and
Nellie
were
as
k
i
n
d
and

appreciative
as
Jos
e
ph
an
d
E
v
alena
had
be
e
n
,
a
nd
t
h
ey
and
the
Catch
e
rs
u
lt
i
m
ate
l
y formed
a str
o
ng
a
n
d lo
v
in
g
,
fa
m
i
ly-li
k
e relati
o
nship.

D
u
st
i
n
g
o
f
f
h
er
h
an
d
s,
Mary
be
n
t
a
k
i
ss
u
pon
h
er
d
a
u
g
h
t
er’s s
m
oo
t
h fore
h
ead
and
wal
k
ed
to
t
h
e
st
ov
e
.
Pic
k
ing
u
p
t
h
e
m
et
a
l
c
o
ffee
p
o
t,
s
h
e wal
k
e
d
ov
e
r
to
w
h
ere
her
h
u
s
b
a
n
d
Peter
sat
read
i
ng
t
h
e
n
e
wsp
a
p
e
r,
w
h
ile