The Blanket of Blessings



  The Blanket of Blessing Series ~ Book 1

 

  The Blanket of Blessings

 

  Betty L. Milne

 

  Byrne Press

 

  © 2014 by Betty L Milne. All rights reserved.

  Bryne Press is solely responsible for book cover design and layout, along with support for publishing. As such, the ultimate design, editing, content, editorial accuracy, and views expressed or implied in this work are those of the author. No royalties/fees will be provided by Bryne Press at any time.

  Previously published by Publish America 2011

  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any way by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without the prior permission of the copyright holder, except as provided by USA copyright law.

  This publication is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons living or dead is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or publisher.

  Soft cover ISBN 13: 978-1-4951-0461-9

  Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 2014934741

 

  ~ This book is lovingly dedicated to my wonderful mother, Roberta L. Tuvey, who generously blanketed me with blessings and stitched each one into my heart. ~

 

  Content

  The County Fair

  The Blanket

  The Accident

  The Letter

  The Visit

  The Trail

  The Fort

  The Crossing

  The River

  The Village

  The Name

  The Celebration

  The Fishing Lesson

  The Mountain War

  The Baby

  The Painted Bowl

  The Marriage Day

  The Rescue

  The Return

  About The Author

  Other Books

 

  The County Fair

  THE WONDERFUL AROMAS from the kitchen wafted through the rest of the small farm house. Fresh baked apple and peach pies sat on the kitchen table, cooling from the hot oven. Angie admired her mother, Faith, as much as a 10 year old girl could. After all, her mother made the best pies in Boone County and always won the Best of Show Blue Ribbons. Well, nearly always. Once in a great while, Edith Hopkins would give her mother a run for the ribbon and Edith’s cherry pie would claim the prize. This only encouraged the anticipation for the upcoming fair and that day had finally arrived. The 1853 Boone County Fair began this very day, a time to mark the end of summer filled with fresh produce, baked goods, handmade crafts, farm animals, and friendly competition among friends and strangers alike. This day always brought excitement to the Owens household. But there was one entry that Faith was sure to win every year. Angie’s mother made the most beautiful crocheted blankets anyone had ever seen.

  Angie wandered into the tidy little living room and ran her slender fingers over the delicately knotted yarn and dreamed of winning a blue ribbon of her own.

  “Come children,” her mother called as she emerged from the kitchen holding a pie carefully sandwiched between two kitchen towels. “We need to get these pies and my blanket to the fair. We can’t be late.”

  Her little brother came running clumsily down the stairs. Angie knew that one day he would trip and fall headlong if he continued his random stair jumping. “Be careful, Billy,” Angie warned, “You’ll fall and hurt yourself!”

  “He’s alright,” her mother smiled, “He’s just excited.”

  “I know, but…” Angie protested.

  “Hush now, dear” Faith interrupted, “We need to get on our way. Collect the blanket and help me put everything in the wagon.”

  Angie gave her brother a disapproving glance and then picked up the beautiful blue-and-white afghan and held it tight to her chest. Someday, she thought, I’ll take my beautiful blanket to the fair.

  The old dirt roads were heavy with people carrying their entries. Most people were arriving in horse-drawn wagons, but a number of them walked from their nearby homes. Columbia, Missouri was a growing town and had the proud distinction of having the largest fair in all of the state. As the Owens wagon rambled down the center of town, Faith saw Edith Hopkins walking down the street proudly holding her cherry pie up higher than need be. Faith nodded and gave her an approving smile. She liked Edith, a contrary woman, but with a good heart and a helping hand when needed.

  Angie sat forward and strained to see the entrance to the fairgrounds. Her daddy, William, was going to meet them there. He had been working in the General Store all morning, but the kind owner, George McKenna, encouraged William to take the rest of the day off. “I’m closing the store, George. No use in staying open when everyone’s going to be at the fair.”

  George and his wife, Elma, were like family to the Owens. They ate many a meal together and told many a wild tale by the fireplace to the children’s delight. Billy would always add his imagination to the stories, as 6-year-olds tend to do, making everyone laugh with the absurdness of it all. The Mckennas had no children of their own and were getting on in years, so Angie and Billy held a special place in their hearts. They’d watched these little babies grow into fine youngsters and lavished love and attention unsparingly on them.

  “Someday, William,” George was always pleased to say, “my General Store will be yours. I’ll be too old to keep that place running, and you’ll have to take over and then hand it down to Billy. Gotta keep the business in the family!” And he’d pat William on the back and smile proudly.

  “You’ll never be too old,” William would assure him.

  “There’s daddy!” Angie yelled as she spotted her father standing next to George. Faith found a place under a tree to tie the horse to and waved to William and George as they approached the wagon. The children jumped down from the wagon and ran to their daddy. William scooped up Angie and said “There’s my Honey Bee!”

  “And just as sweet” Angie reminded him of the game they would always play. William set her back down and then held Billy up high in the air, “And how are you Snuggle Bug?”

  “As snug as a bug in a rug!” Billy would always answer. William laughed and set Billy down next to Angie and then helped Faith carry her pies. Angie carried the crocheted blanket proudly in her arms, knowing that all the ladies were trying to catch a glimpse of it as she walked by.

  As they arrived at the display tables, Angie asked if she could go see the prize bulls that were being shown this year. Boone County was challenging nearby Monroe County to a contest of who had the biggest beef bulls, and it had become the big attraction of the fair this year.

  “Yes,” Faith answered, “Take Billy with you. Keep an eye on him. Don’t let him get lost.”

  “I won’t” Angie said as she grabbed Billy’s hand and ran down to the animal pens. They darted among the other sight-seers nearly running into several unsuspecting people.

  “Slow down!” Billy yelled, “I can’t run that fast!”

  “There they are!’ Angie pointed toward the crowd that had gathered. “Come on, we’re almost there!”

  Making their way up to the front of the spectators, their eyes grew big and their mouths gaped as they gazed at the huge bulls that had been entered for competition. “I’ve never seen such big cows!” Angie remarked.

  “Me neither!” Billy added.

  After examining all six of the bulls that had been entered, the three best from each county, Angie pointed at one of the bulls from Boo
ne County. “That’s the one that’s going to win! I bet that one is the biggest of all of them!”

  Billy nodded his head in agreement.

  “I wish we had one of those big cows. Everyone would come to visit us just so they could see the huge bull we owned and they’d think we were rich,” Angie smiled.

  “Yeah, they’d think we were the richest people in the whole world!” Billy agreed.

  After a few minutes of dreaming, Angie pulled Billy away from the crowd and they began to walk back toward the displays. Suddenly, Angie stopped dead in her tracks.

  There she was, Pearl Hubbard, the thorn in Angie’s side ever since the Hubbard family moved to their town several years ago. Angie wasn’t sure why she and Pearl never got along. She assumed it was because her mother always won ribbons at the fair each year and Pearl’s mother never won any; at least, none that she ever saw. All Angie knew was they had ill feelings toward each other from the very beginning.

  Pearl walked up to Angie, with her best friend, Betsy, at her side. Betsy was Angie’s best friend before Pearl came to town, and now Betsy seemed to enjoy needling Angie every bit as much as Pearl did.

  “I used to go to Angie’s house,” Betsy told Pearl as they both looked at Angie. “It’s a very small house, you know, and only sits on a very small piece of land, only enough for a few vegetables and a fruit tree or two. Hardly anything one could be proud of.”

  “It used to be just fine for you before Pearl came to town,” Angie retorted.

  “I was just being nice to you,” Betsy said, “I felt sorry for you.”

  “Yes, we ALL feel sorry for you,” Pearl added to the sarcasm.

  “Don’t feel sorry for me. After all, I’m not a little spoiled brat like you!” Angie turned to Pearl in spite.

  “That’s so true. I may be spoiled, but that’s because you have nothing compared to me. My mother and father are rich and yours are so poor. Too bad for you!” Pearl smiled contentedly and turned her back to Angie, walking away with Betsy at her side, both laughing to each other.

  I don’t care, Angie told herself, I’d rather be poor and have what I have. I have everything I need, and a better family than she’ll ever have!

  “I don’t like her” Billy looked up at his sister. “She’s so mean to you. And I don’t like Betsy anymore either. I was gonna marry her when I grew up, but not anymore!”

  “You’ll find someone nicer than Betsy,” Angie assured her brother. “There’ll be lots of nice girls to marry when you grow up.

  “Are you going to get married when you grow up?” Billy asked Angie innocently.

  “No, I don’t think so,” Angie answered sadly, “I don’t want to marry anyone but daddy, and he’s already married to momma. Come on, let’s go see if momma’s blanket won a ribbon.”

  As they neared the display tables, Angie and Billy could see the judge placing the “Best of Show” ribbon on their mother’s crocheted blanket, for the ninth year in a row.

  Angie ran up to her mother and hugged her. “You did it momma! You won again!”

  “Yes, dear” her mother hugged her back. “We are so blessed. We’ll be able to sell it and buy more food for the winter and maybe a Christmas present or two.”

  Billy jumped up and down with the thought of Christmas coming this winter.

  “Do you think I’ll get a toy to play with?”

  ”You need a new coat this year, you’re growing so fast,” his mother said, ruffled his hair with her hand.

  “A nice warm one like daddy’s?” Billy asked with excitement.

  “We’ll see,” Faith laughed.

  “We need a few new hens this year,” William reminded Faith, “It’s time to put a couple old ones in the pot. They stopped laying eggs this summer.”

  “We should be able to afford that,” Faith assured him and touched him on the shoulder, “God has blessed us very well this year.”

  “I don’t know why He loves us so much,” William shook his head in amazement, “I don’t know what we’ve done to merit His favor, giving us each other and caring for us the way He has.”

  “I don’t think it’s anything that we’ve done, dear,” Faith smiled, “I think God does just what He feels is best for us, whether it be easy or hard.”

  “I am so lucky to have you,” William looked lovingly at his wife. “And to think you almost married John O’Reilly!”

  “And you came and rescued me just in time!” Faith laughed.

  “Your knight in shining armor!” William reminded her.

  “Yes, my knight in shining armor,” Faith mused, “I think God wanted us to be together. Do you think that long ago, God had designed us to meet?”

  William nodded his head, “Yes I do. I think He made us for each other.”

  Faith smiled, “I think so too.”

  Billy tugged at his mother’s skirt. “I’m hungry, mommy.”

  “I think we have enough for an ear of corn and a piece of chicken,” his father said checking the change in his pocket. “Let’s see what I have here.”

  Billy began jumping up and down again. “With butter on the corn?”

  “Yes, with butter on the corn. Let’s go find some,” his father said as they began to walk toward the food cooking on the spits.

  The Owens family found a place to sit down on the grass to enjoy their evening meal.

  “We need some water,” William said as he looked at their empty metal pitcher. “I’ll go get some.”

  “I’ll get it for you, daddy,” Angie offered as she jumped to her feet. “I’ll be right back.”

  She ran to the nearby supply of water barrels and waited in line for her turn to fill their pitcher. She filled the pitcher and then carefully carried the pitcher, taking care not to spill a drop.

  “Where did you get that yellow hair?” Pearl laughed as she came up behind Angie. “You don’t look like anybody in your family. You must have been pulled out of the wash bucket by mistake!”

  “I look like my grandma!” Angie stuck her face in Pearl’s. “And there’s nothing wrong with my hair! My daddy says it looks pretty!”

  “Pretty if you’re a horse!” Pearl grinned and brought her nose closer to Angie’s nose.

  “Oh yeah? Well, your hair looks like an old brown weasel on top of your head!” Angie retorted as she threw the water from the pitcher down the front of Pearl’s dress.

  Pearl screamed in disgust and yelled at Angie, “You’re in big trouble now! Wait until my mother sees what you’ve done! She’ll make sure your mother spanks you for this!”

  “Girls, girls!’ Elma stepped in separating Angie and Pearl, “That’s enough of that nonsense! Why you two act just like you’re sisters!”

  George stood nearby laughing to himself.

  “No we don’t” Angie protested, “She is NOT my sister!”

  “Well, come along dear. It’s time to find your family,” Elma said as she took Angie by the hand and led her away. As she walked away, Angie turned and made a ‘mad’ face at Pearl causing Pearl to react with an even ‘madder’ face’ and then Pearl ran to find her mother.

  “But I have to get some water for daddy,” Angie told Elma.

  “Well, if you weren’t throwing it at your friends, you’d probably have plenty of water for your father,” George laughed. “Let’s go over to the water barrels and wait in line.”

  The word soon spread that the main prize of the fair went to one of the Boone County beef bulls and would fetch a lot of money.

  “I knew it!” Angie said to her family and the McKennas as they were leaving the fair. “Didn’t I tell you that big bull from Boone County was going to win?” she looked to her brother for verification.

  He nodded his head and yawned, growing tired with the day’s excitement.

  The McKennas waved goodbye and headed for their home as William untied the horses.

  “There you are!” Cora yelled at the top of her lungs and came stomping over to the Owens. “I’ve been looking for you a
ll evening. Look what your daughter did to my daughter!”

  Pearl’s mother had her squarely by the arm and shoved Pearl in front of her as if to put her on display.

  “What’s the matter?” William asked.

  “Can’t you see for yourself?!” Cora remarked. “Your daughter doused Pearl with water. Not only could she have ruined Pearl’s new dress, Pearl could catch her death of cold, and for no good reason. You need to do something about that child of yours! She’s a big problem for this community!”

  Faith ushered the children quickly into the wagon.

  William turned to Angie and asked, “Did you throw water at Pearl, Angie?”

  “Yes, daddy,” Angie quietly answered, but then spoke up, “but she was saying mean things to me!”

  “I hardly think so!” Cora objected.

  “I’m very sorry, Mrs. Hubbard, “William said earnestly. “We’ll deal with Angie when we get home tonight.”

  “Well, I should think so!” Cora agreed. “And if you don’t, then I will be forced to do so myself!”

  “That won’t be necessary,” William said as he climbed up on the wagon and took the reins. “Have a good evening, Mrs. Hubbard.”

  He pulled the reins and guided the horses down the road. As the Owens were returning home from the fair, Angie fretted about being in trouble with her father.

  “I’m sorry, daddy,” she said loud enough for him to hear her.

  “Well, sweetheart,” her father began, “you probably had good reason, but that doesn’t make what you did right. You can’t go around trying to get back at everyone who hurts your feelings.”

  “I know,” Angie agreed, “Are you going to punish me?”

  After a bit of silence, William answered, “Well, I guess I’ll have to. I want you to go out and help me in the vegetable garden tomorrow. Weeds need to be pulled and vegetables need to be gathered. No sleeping in. We’ll be starting at daybreak.”

  She didn’t relish that kind of punishment. She didn’t like working in the yard, and getting her hands dirty, and William was well aware of this. But as long as she was working alongside her daddy, it would be alright.

  Angie began proudly thinking about the many ribbons her mother won at the fair again this year, even taking home the Best Pie ribbon, to Edith Hopkin’s displeasure. This was the best year ever! Angie smiled to herself. I bet Pearl’s mother didn’t win anything… again!

  Unpleasant thoughts about Pearl began to run through her mind and she had an anger building inside her.

  “Momma,” Angie caught her mother’s attention. “Why does Pearl hate me so much?”

  “I don’t think she hates you dear,” her mother smiled. “She might be jealous of you. Most of the time, people are mean to others because they feel inferior.”

  “Jealous of me? But we’re poor. She has everything she wants!” Angie remarked with a confused look on her face.

  “She may have everything she wants,” Faith said kindly, “but she has very little of what she needs. That is where you are rich and she is poor.”

  Angie thought about her mother’s words, trying to figure out what her mother was trying to tell her. The anger toward Pearl began to subside. She sat quietly and stroked Billy’s hair as his head rested on her lap, fast asleep from his busy day at the fair.

  Sometimes you’re not such a bad brother. Angie smiled as she looked down at the little boy asleep on her lap. She looked up at her father and mother in the front seat. I do have everything I need, and that does make me rich!

 

  The Blanket