Edith and the Mysterious Stranger (6 page)

“Sweetheart, we need to talk.”

Edith knew that meant a
serious talk, so she took a deep breath and sighed.
“All right, Mama. What is it?”

“Edith, you never gave him a chance. You’re
not looking at the inner person.”

“The inner person?”

“You know, his heart or the spiritual side of him.
Henry has a good heart, and that’s why I invited him over. But
Edith, you’re not allowing yourself to see beyond your own
prejudices.”

“Prejudices?” Edith said impatiently.

“Just let me finish what I have to say. Please?”

Edith nodded reluctantly, not sure if she really
wanted to hear this.

“I know that differences of opinion between couples
are common. Your father and I didn’t always agree on issues at
first, but with time we gradually helped one another to understand
our own point of view. We learned to respect the other’s opinion.
No one couple has everything in common at first. That would be
impossible. What you need is to get to know a man deep inside
first, not his outward appearance but his heart, his spiritual
side.” Martha tapped her chest with her fingers for emphasis.
“Inside here, Edith. Do you understand? Don’t challenge men so
readily.”

Martha smiled as she affectionately placed her hand
on her daughter’s face and repeated, “Get to know a man’s heart,
Edith. That’s what you have to look for.”

Then she leaned over, kissed her daughter on the
cheek, and left her with her thoughts.

Edith snuggled into bed but didn’t go to sleep right
away. She was too wound up. Was her mother right? Was she truly
that hard on men, judging them and passing sentence all in one
evening? She had been told by many a friend that she wasn’t giving
men a chance. Was it because she had not looked at a man’s heart,
the spiritual side of him? But how was she to do this? She was so
used to judging men by first appearances.

As a tear trickled down her cheek, she pulled her
knees up to her chest and prayed. She prayed that some day she
would learn what her mother was saying, that she would understand
and look at the inner person, for the goodness deep inside.

Edith swiped at her tears as they rolled down
her cheeks and onto her pillow. Perhaps her mother was right. She
needed to try harder. As she gradually relaxed, calmness came over
her and she gradually fell into a deep sleep.

David was carrying a large bag of feed toward
the corral. When he saw little six-year-old John split into a run
and come to a halt right in front of him, he laughed. He noticed
that John had become like a little puppy dog, following him around
the ranch and chattering all the time. He also realized John’s
admiration for him and David relished in it.

With eagerness, John looked up at David and
asked, “Can I help?”

David stopped, looked down at John, and smiled.
“Don’t know. Are you strong enough?”

“Sure am.” John pushed his sleeve up and flexed
his arm. “See? I’m strong.”

David tried hard to suppress a chuckle. He
dropped the sack to the ground, knelt beside him, and felt the
small muscle in John’s arm.

“Wow! You’ve got something there. I think it
might be the beginnings of a muscle, young man.”

John grinned. “You see?”

Jenny had tied her mare to a post and was
brushing her down when she was distracted by their conversation.
She turned around and looked down at the two of them. When she
giggled, David instantly turned and faced Jenny. When their eyes
met, he stood and nonchalantly walked over to her.

“He’s got the makings of a real muscle
there, I believe.”

“Oh?”

David grinned, his eyes
flirting with hers as he spoke.
“I love
this age. They’re so eager to help out.”

Jenny smiled.
“Especially when they have a hero.”

“Hero?”

“Haven’t you noticed that he trails you
around?”

David hadn’t thought of being a hero to a
kid before. He turned around and looked down at John who was
struggling with the bag of feed, trying to pull it to the
corral.

David chuckled.
“But a hero is someone you look up to. I’m not
anyone to look up to.”

“Sure you are. You make
John feel good about himself, and that means a lot to a little boy.
He seems to have more life when he’s around you. I’ve noticed
you’ve got great qualities, David.” Then Jenny blushed and
instantly looked down at the mare to avoid his eyes, as she brushed
its side with faster strokes.
“
Anyway,
you’re a hero to John.”

This took David by surprise.
She had blushed right in front of him. She liked him and he knew
it. No girl blushes unless she likes someone, and that much he knew
about females. Besides, he enjoyed flirting with Jenny. It was fun.
He felt it was harmless flirting and she responded so readily. Of
course, he realized he was just using her to get close to
her
father, but at the same time he was enjoying this
harmless flirtation.

David watched her brush the mare and shook his
head. “Jenny, you are a puzzlement to me. You have a knack of
building me up when you don’t even know me.”

She looked up from her brushing and rested her
hand on the back of the mare. “You’ve been here for a week and you
never talk about your family. What are your parents like?”

David nodded and then said, “Ma is a good woman,
gentle and soft-spoken. Pa is quite the opposite. He’s a
banker.”

Jenny giggled. “A banker? You just don’t look
like a banker’s son to me.”

David laughed along with her, and Jenny
could see the faintest amusement in his eyes.

“To tell you the truth, Jenny, I’m not. I’m
my mother’s son.”

“Oh, that explains a lot.”

David placed his hand on
the back of the mare next to hers, and looked into Jenny’s eyes.
His eyes held hers for a long moment before he spoke.
“Well, I’ve got to get back to work or your pa
will fire me because I’m letting John do it all.”

He chuckled as he peered down at John, who
was still struggling with the large bag of feed. David slipped his
hand on top of hers and smiled.

Jenny’s heart fluttered at the touch of his
hand. It was warm and gentle, and Jenny felt a little tingle of
excitement inside. This young man was having an effect on her, and
she was not sure why. Could it be all the attention that he was
giving her?

She was a young woman now and noticed that
young men were looking at her in a different way than before. Her
heart beat erratically, and warmth crept into her cheeks as he slid
his hand off hers.

David winked at her and then meandered
toward John. “Hey, young man, let me help you with that bag. Whoa,
look at this. You’ve pulled it several feet from where it was.”

***

Melinda was seated on the porch, rocking back
and forth in her rocking chair, feeling relaxed and happy. The
herbs that her cousin had given her last week had worked, and she
was so relieved. Edith would be arriving anytime to check on her,
so she thought she would wait outside.

As she peered out in the distance, she could
see her husband splitting wood. He stopped, pulled a handkerchief
out of his pocket and wiped his brow. After stuffing it back, he
turned around and smiled.

He waved to Melinda and called out, “How are
you doing?”

“Just fine. I’m enjoying the fresh air.”

“Good.”

The rattling of a buggy turned Melinda’s
attention to the road and she saw Edith approaching. She stood and
met her at the bottom of the porch. After Edith reined in the
horse, she picked up her skirts and stepped out of the buggy.

“Melinda, how are you doing?”

“Much better. The herbs are working,
Edith.”

“Good. I knew they would. Have you been
taking the raspberry tea everyday?”

“Yes, twice a day like you said. I boil the
raspberry leaves for ten minutes. Then I put a tablespoon of honey
in my glass to sweeten it.” She pulled a face. “It tastes horrible
without honey.”

Edith smiled. “I know. And how about the
cayenne pepper?”

Melinda wrinkled up her nose. “Now that was
a tough one. I tried putting honey with it but it stung my mouth,
so I just put an eighth of a teaspoon on the back of my tongue and
quickly followed it with water. That way it’s done and over
with.”

Melinda pulled a face in disgust and Edith
laughed with delight.

“Edith, why is it so important that I take
it daily? I can handle the herb tea, but the cayenne?”

Edith instantly became sober. She needed to
let Melinda know the seriousness and importance of following her
instructions. “Listen to me, it’s very important. Cayenne will
prevent you from hemorrhaging. It will strengthen your system and
prevent any problems during childbirth. Do you understand?”

Melinda nodded. “I do. The catnip tea is
what really surprises me, though.”

“What happened?”

“Well, a couple days ago I woke up with
severe cramping. They were three or four minutes apart. It was so
bad that I rolled into a ball, holding my stomach. It was the worst
I’ve had.”

“Oh, no!”

“Gilbert woke up when he heard me groaning
in pain. He immediately went to the kitchen and boiled a bunch of
catnip leaves for ten minutes. Then he put some honey with it to
sweeten it. He knows how I gag with herb tea unless it’s
sweetened.”

Edith laughed. “I’m the same way.”

“Well, he rushed back into the
bedroom with it, blowing on it all the while so I could drink it.
He told me to sit up but
I couldn’t. I hurt so badly. So, he
helped me up and handed the tea to me. As I sipped, I just knew it
wouldn’t help. It didn’t make any sense to me. How could a simple
herb tea take away such serious cramping?”

“
It really does. I’ve
seen it work, Melinda.”

“
Well, you were right.
After twenty minutes, the cramps subsided and after thirty minutes
they were completely gone. The following day, the same thing
happened again. But this time Gilbert had some tea already made in
case of another emergency. He quickly ran down the hall and brought
it back. The cramps were gone within twenty minutes that time. It
works. It really works.”

Edith nodded.
“
I told
you it would. You just have to trust me.”

“
Thank you.” Melinda
took Edith’s arm, led her into the house, and then sat down on the
sofa.
“
So, how are you feeling, Edith? You
look a little despondent today.”

“
Oh, Melinda, I am.
I’ve only been here one week and Mama invited Henry over for Sunday
dinner. She’s quite the matchmaker, you know. Well, I tried my best
to talk to him and be civil, but everything he said and did seemed
to irritate me. He was so self-assured, so know-it-all, as if he
knew all the answers. Well, anyway, Mama was embarrassed by my
behavior and Henry was amused by it.”

When Melinda lovingly touched her hand, Edith
shook her head and sighed.
“
What’s wrong
with me?”

“Nothing.” Melinda laughed. “I think it’s more
of a reaction to others trying to be cupid. You know…like your
friends, your mother, and even me. Maybe we try too hard because we
want you to have the same happiness that we have.”

Edith nodded, understanding the reasoning behind
it. She knew they all loved her. They were just trying too hard.
That was all.

She squeezed Melinda’s hand and smiled. “I
finally told Mama in the gentlest way, that I could find the right
man all by myself.”

“Good for you.”

“You know something? I should give Henry another
chance. He’s intelligent, friendly, educated, and polite.” Edith
pursed her lips in thought. “But then…he’s also a little arrogant,
overly self-confident, very opinionated, and quite bold. Not to
mention flirtatious. Did you know that he actually kissed my hand
the first time that we met?”

Melinda nodded with amusement, not saying a word
but listening intently.

Edith shook her head in dismay. “You see, there
I go again. Picking Henry apart, judging him without even knowing
him.” She placed her hands over her face and moaned, “Oooh, what am
I to do?”

Melinda laughed at her cousin’s plight. “You’re
so funny, Edith. Henry’s not so bad when you get to know him.”

“Yeah, probably not. That is, if you enjoy being
lectured to about the equality of the sexes.”

“The equality of what?”

“Never mind. I’ll tell you later. Well, anyway,
something else came up. A couple days ago Mama handed me a
letter.”

Edith pulled the letter
out of her bag, and the corners of her lips turned up into a slight
smile.
“Mama said we truly don’t
understand men, simply because we never take the time to learn
about the inner person deep down inside.”

Melinda’s brows
lifted.
“The inner person?”

Edith placed her hand on
her chest and tapped her fingers.
“You
know, the heart, his spiritual side. We’re so busy courting and
trying to impress one another that we never get to know the soul of
the person.”

“That’s true. I believe that.”

“So, after Mama handed me this letter, she
said she couldn’t answer any questions because she had given her
word.”

“Her word?”

“Uh-huh. Her word.”
Edith’s eyes lit up.
“
I’ve never read a
letter like this before in my whole life. It’s a letter of
sincerity. It has heart. I brought the letter with me so I could
share it with you and see what you thought.”