Life with Lily Page 5
Aunt Mary came out of the house to meet Mama and Dannie. Lily thought she looked wilted, like the leaves on the big maple tree next to the house. Lily decided this summer heat must make everything and everyone uncomfortable.
All afternoon, Lily and Hannah played while Mama worked in the little store with Aunt Mary. Too soon, it was time to go home. Lily was sorry to leave Hannah. In the buggy, she chattered to Mama about her day and how much fun she had. Mama seemed extra quiet. Lily peeked around Mama’s big black bonnet and saw tears streaming down her cheeks.
Despite the heat, Lily felt a shiver. “What’s wrong, Mama?”
“Mary is sick,” Mama said quietly. “She has cancer.”
Cancer. Lily didn’t know what the word meant, but if it made Mama cry, it must be something very horrible.
Lily and Joseph loved playing in the barn while Papa worked. Each evening, he would curry Jim or sweep the hay from the hallway. A new litter of kittens had been born recently. Lily thought there was nothing as cute and fun as baby kittens. Every evening she and Joseph would sit on the barn floor and hold the kittens in their lap, stroking them gently as they purred. Sometimes, the kittens were in a playful mood and didn’t want to be held very long. They would chase each other around the ladder and hay bales. Lily and Joseph would laugh and laugh, until their sides hurt. Even Papa would stop his work to watch the silly kittens play.
One evening, the kittens ran into the barn where the buggies were kept. Lily and Joseph ran after them. Lily picked a kitten up in her arms and noticed another one under a wooden pallet. Only its tail peeped from under the pallet. Lily tried to coax it out by stroking its big black tail. My, it had a big bushy tail. Bigger than the kittens’ tails. “Here, kitty, kitty, kitty.” The cat wouldn’t budge. Lily went to find Papa and ask him to help her.
Papa took one glance at the cat’s tail that stuck out from the pallet and grabbed Joseph, hoisting him into his arms. “Follow me, Lily! Now!” Papa turned and ran from the barn. The tone in Papa’s voice was alarming. Lily ran after him.
Once they were outside, Papa let out a big “Whew! That was close!” He looked at Lily, chuckling. “You are the only little girl I know of who has petted a skunk.”
Lily’s mouth opened in a big O, but not a word came out. She was too shocked to speak. That tail did seem a little different from their other cats, but she had no idea it belonged to a skunk. Oh, how dreadful if she and Joseph had been sprayed with a heavy choking cloud of stink. The very thought made shivers run up and down her spine.
In the house, Papa told Mama the skunk story. He thought he might ask around to see if he could find a dog. “Too many varmints have been coming around the farm,” he said. “A good dog would make those varmints think twice before calling our barn a home.”
Later that week, Papa came into the kitchen to find Mama. Lily and Joseph were helping Mama can peaches. His blue eyes were twinkling like they did whenever he had a surprise. “I found a nice dog in town,” Papa said. “Let’s go out and meet her.”
Everyone followed Papa outside. A big black dog was tied to a tree near the house. Its wet pink tongue hung out of its big mouth. Lily spotted some big sharp teeth. As big as fangs and sharp as razors.
Mama seemed pleased. Didn’t she see those big teeth?
“I think we should call her Stormy,” Mama said as she stooped down to pet the big ferocious-looking dog.
Papa knew that if Mama named an animal, it could stay. “We’re happy to have you live with us now, Stormy.” He stroked the dog’s big head. “I’ll make a nice bed for you out in the barn. In a few days, we’ll let you run anywhere you like on our property. You can play with the children and keep critters away.”
All Lily could think about were those big sharp teeth. She did not want to play with that dog. She didn’t want to get anywhere near it.
Papa smiled at her. “Would you like to come pet Stormy?”
Lily shook her head. Tears prickled her eyes. The dog was too scary! Lily’s tears made Joseph cry too. That often happened. If Lily cried, Joseph cried. If Joseph cried, Dannie cried. Soon, they were all crying. Papa was surprised that they didn’t like the new dog and told them that they didn’t have to play with it today. He assured them that once they grew used to Stormy, they would find the dog would be a lot of fun. Maybe one of their best friends, even.
But Lily was sure she could never be friendly with a dog that had such great big pointy teeth.
As summer deepened, Aunt Mary grew weaker and sicker. Several times a week, Papa would hitch Jim to the buggy for Mama so she could help with Aunt Mary’s laundry, cooking, and cleaning. Lily and Joseph would go along to play with Levi and Hannah. On days when Mama stayed home, Grandma Miller would tend to Aunt Mary.
Lily felt sad. Hannah wasn’t fun to play with, like she had been before her mother had become sick with this cancer. Hannah looked sad all the time. Each time Lily arrived, she would find Hannah at the sink, washing breakfast dishes. Her blue dress was on backward so the buttons ran down the front. Her mother was too weak to help her get dressed and Hannah couldn’t reach the buttons in the back. Mama would help Hannah dress properly, then start the day’s work.
Uncle Elmer spent a lot of time sitting on a rocking chair next to Aunt Mary’s bed. He would read to her or just sit quietly as she took little naps.
Lily tried to shake the feeling of dread that covered Hannah’s house like a scratchy wool blanket. How she wished they could laugh and sing and play like they used to! Even when they stayed at home, Mama wasn’t bubbly with laughter like she had been.
A few nights later, Papa had just finished asking a silent blessing for supper when a buggy rolled up the driveway. Lily saw Uncle Elmer jump out of the buggy and tie his horse to the hitching post. He walked back to the buggy and gently lifted a big box. He carried the box to the porch. Papa went to open the door for him. Lily wondered what Uncle Elmer had in the box. He set it down in a chair in the kitchen and carefully lifted out a tiny baby wrapped up in soft white blankets.
“Mary is in the hospital,” he told Mama and Papa. “Since the baby has been born, the doctors want to do something about the cancer right away.”
A baby? Lily didn’t know that Aunt Mary was going to have a baby! That was good news. Very good news! No wonder she had been sick and tired. But now that the baby was here, everything would be better. Babies always made people happy.
“Hannah and Levi will stay at Grandma and Grandpa Miller’s,” Uncle Elmer said. He was in a hurry because he wanted to go to the hospital to be with Aunt Mary. He ran the back of his fingers over the baby’s soft cheek. He handed the baby to Mama and turned to go. He opened the door and took a step outside as Lily called out, “Wait! What is this baby’s name?”
Uncle Elmer stopped abruptly. Lily felt her cheeks grow warm. It was bold to question a grown-up like that. Children must be seen and not heard. Wasn’t Mama constantly reminding her of that? But Uncle Elmer wasn’t cross. He smiled at her.
“I almost forgot to tell you. We named him Davy.”
As Uncle Elmer drove off in the buggy, Lily looked at baby Davy. His skin was white and creamy. His head was covered with thick fuzzy black hair. Lily wanted to stroke it to see if it felt as soft as it looked. His face wasn’t red and wrinkly like Dannie’s had been. He wasn’t ugly like Dannie had been. In fact, Lily thought Davy was the cutest baby she had ever seen.
Lily liked having two babies in the house. Davy couldn’t do anything but wave his hands and feet and make funny little noises when he was hungry. Mama said she never knew a baby who cried as little as Davy. Lily liked sitting next to Davy’s bassinet and talking to him. Sometimes Mama would let her hold the bottle to feed him.
Uncle Elmer brought Hannah and Levi over several times a week so they could see their new little brother. They never stayed very long. Lily wished that she and Hannah could play with their dolls like they used to do, but Hannah didn’t want to play. She only wanted to hold Davy.
9
Stormy’s Puppies
Stormy had puppies last night,” Papa said one morning as he washed up at the sink before breakfast. “They’re the cutest little things. I’ll take you out to see them after we’re done eating.”
Lily ate as fast as she could, then sat and waited until everyone was done. Hurry, hurry, hurry, Joseph! she wanted to say, but knew she shouldn’t.
When Papa finally took them out to the barn, she couldn’t believe what she saw: eight tiny puppies. They made funny mewling sounds as they crawled over each other to get close to Stormy.
Papa told Lily and Joseph that they couldn’t play with the puppies until after their eyes were opened up, not for a few weeks. For now, too much handling might make the puppies sick. “Stormy will take good care of them,” he said. “She’s a good mother.”
After Papa and Joseph went back into the house, Lily stayed in the barn, watching the puppies with Stormy. She could hardly wait until they were big enough to play with. Stormy lay quietly, proudly looking over her babies. As she nuzzled her tiny puppies, she didn’t look scary to Lily. Not scary at all.
It was a beautiful afternoon. Lily lay on her top bunk bed and looked longingly out the window. The sun was shining and the leaves in the big oak tree danced in the light breeze. She could hear birds sing merry songs as they flitted from branch to branch. Under the tree, Stormy snoozed peacefully as her frisky puppies tumbled around her, chasing each others’ tails. The puppies were bigger now. Lily and Joseph were allowed to play with them.
Lily could hear the sound of Papa’s ax as he chopped firewood on the other side of the house. The steady thump, thump, thump from Papa’s ax should have made her sleepy, like it had made Joseph. He was sound asleep in the bottom bunk. Even Mama was taking a little nap after she put Dannie and Davy to sleep in their cribs. The house was quiet. Too quiet.
Lily thought taking naps was a waste of time. From the window, she watched the puppies romp in the yard. She crept quietly out of bed and tiptoed outside to play with them.
Lily thought she might watch Papa chop piece after piece of wood from the huge pile. But then she thought again. Too risky. Papa might tell her to go back to bed. She gathered up her two favorite puppies and slipped into the barn before he could see her. She held the ends of her apron to make a basket and carried the puppies up the ladder into the hayloft.
Lily sat down to play in the back corner. Not much later, she heard Mama call her name. A twinge of guilt prickled her. She squeezed behind a bale of hay and hoped the puppies wouldn’t bark to give away her hiding place. Puppies thought everything was a game. She heard Papa call her name. She knew she should answer, but she didn’t want to have to go back to bed. She held her breath as Papa and Mama kept calling her.
Her heart started to pound as she heard Papa climb the ladder into the loft. He had noticed the missing puppies and figured out her hiding place! When he saw her, he had a stern look on his face. She had never seen him look so cross.
“Lily!” he said. “Why didn’t you answer when we called?”
“I didn’t want to take a nap.”
Papa helped her down the ladder and took her to the porch. When Mama saw her, a look of relief flooded her face. “Where was she?”
“Hiding in the loft with a few puppies,” Papa said. “I think she should probably go to bed again so that she’ll remember to answer next time we call her.”
Lily could see that she had made Papa and Mama upset. She wished she hadn’t slipped outside when Mama had told her to take a nap. She wished she had answered Mama when she first heard her calling. She certainly should have answered Papa when he called. And now—to have to go back to bed! What a terrible punishment.
Mama helped Lily wash her hands, then sent her back to bed, just as Joseph woke up and went into the kitchen. She could hear Joseph and Mama laugh and talk. She could hear Mama feed Dannie and Davy. She wished she could be with them. Having to stay in her room by herself, all afternoon, was much worse than taking a nap.
Finally, suppertime came. Papa came into Lily’s room to ask if she was hungry. She was famished! Practically starving. The whole day brightened.
She bounced out of bed. It was wonderful to sit at the table and be with everyone again. Mama and Papa seemed to have forgotten how naughty she had been. They talked and laughed like they did at every meal. Lily decided, from now on, she would always answer when she heard Mama or Papa call. Too many interesting things had happened and she didn’t want to miss out on them by having to spend another afternoon in bed. Too risky.
Autumn was coming. The floorboards in the morning felt cold to Lily’s bare feet. The leaves on the maple trees were starting to turn bright red. Soon, they would turn orange, then yellow, and then they would fall from the trees.
Late one day, there was a familiar knock on the door of the farmhouse. Uncle Elmer had come to visit and, this time, he seemed like he was back to his normal self. He looked happy. He told Mama that Aunt Mary had come home from the hospital. The doctors said she would be fine. The cancer had been cured.
Uncle Elmer wanted to take baby Davy home. Lily was glad to hear that Aunt Mary was better, but she was going to miss baby Davy. He was starting to lift his head and wave his hands at colorful strings of beads that Lily dangled over him. She would miss giving him his bottle and seeing his smiles. He always made cooing and gurgling sounds when she was near him, as if he was trying to let her know he loved her best.
Lily helped Mama pack all of Davy’s clothes and toys. Uncle Elmer wrapped him up in a blanket and carefully laid him in a big box. He set the box on the floor of the buggy so Davy would be safe on the ride home.
After the buggy turned onto the road, Lily sat between Mama and Papa on the front porch swing. Joseph sat on Papa’s lap and Mama held Dannie in her arms. Papa gently rocked the swing back and forth, back and forth. Everything was quiet except the katydids and crickets. In the woods a few night birds trilled their sweet songs.
Mama broke the silence. “I like hearing those birds sing. With all these trees around the house, it seems there are always birds singing somewhere. This summer was hard with Mary being sick and with having two babies to care for. There were days when I didn’t feel like singing. Then all I had to do was to listen to my singing trees and I knew everything was going to be all right.”
Papa put his arm around her shoulder. “Rachel, you are a strong woman. Not many women could have taken care of two babies like you did. It will be nice just having to look after your own family.”
Mama looked at the trees in the yard. “I think we finally have a name for our little farm. Singing Tree Farm.” She laughed. “How about it, Lily? Would you like to be Lily of Singing Tree Farm?”
Lily tried out the sound of it a few times and decided she liked it. She snuggled close to Mama and listened to the wood thrush sing its evening song. She was happy that the birds had helped Mama this summer, and that they gave her a name for their farm: Singing Tree Farm.
10
School for Lily
Lily had known this day was coming. School was what happened to little boys and little girls after they turned six. They were sent off to school. She had been worrying about this day ever since her birthday.
And now the day was here.
Lily sat on the front seat of the buggy beside Mama and Dannie. Joseph sat in the back. Lily was wearing a new green dress that felt stiff and uncomfortable. She held a shiny new lunch box in her lap. She had watched Mama pack it this morning: a nice egg sandwich made with thick slices of soft homemade bread. A cute, little pink bowl with a lid held several slices of Mama’s canned peaches. And two oatmeal cookies.
Lily was p
leased with her lunch box. She looked forward to eating the lunch Mama had packed. Mama talked as she drove Jim.
“School will be so exciting for you, Lily. You will learn to read and to speak English. The teacher will teach you new songs and then you can come home and teach them to us.”
Lily wished she had Mama’s confidence. Her tummy felt like it was doing flip-flops.
As they drove up to the schoolhouse, Mama got out of the buggy to tie Jim to a tree while Lily held Dannie. Mama helped Joseph climb out of the buggy, then took Dannie out of Lily’s arms so she could hop out. They all walked into the schoolhouse. All the desks were lined up in rows. The desks had black iron feet and curved seats, with curving backs that were part of the desks behind them. The tops of the desks had grooves to hold pencils and shelves underneath them for books. A large heating stove stood on the side of the room. Almost all of the seats were empty. Lily didn’t know where she should sit. Another wave of worry rolled over her.
Mama helped Lily place her lunch box on a shelf as the teacher came to meet them. “My name is Teacher Ellen,” she said with a big smile. “And you must be Lily Lapp.”
Lily nodded shyly. She thought she had never seen anyone as beautiful as Teacher Ellen. She had auburn hair, bright sparkly blue eyes, creamy skin, and rosy cheeks. Her smile looked like it came from deep inside and made little dimples appear in her cheeks.
“We have a lot of fun things to do today,” Teacher Ellen said. “First, let’s find your desk.” She led Lily to the front of the room and showed her a desk with her name attached to the top. “This will be your very own desk where you can keep all your books and pencils and where you will be sitting to do your work.”