Part 16 (1/2)

Later, while Mama had me sitting on our kitchen doorstep soaking my foot, I got to thinking what strange stuff coal oil is. You put it in lamps. You can stop a mean man from fighting with it. You can burn down stores with it. You have to use it to doctor sore feet. It's funny stuff.

In the days that came next, n.o.body paid me and my sore foot much attention. Papa didn't have time. He said he had to go to town and do lots of things.

He didn't even have time to explain to me what he meant about ”a plain case of arson,” and ”just circ.u.mstantial evidence that wouldn't stand up in court,” and about the Law giving him some kind of run-around. He explained it all to Mama, though. He told her that Ward laughed in his face, and that Doctor Elton said later that a man who drank himself into a stupor all the time was plain sick.

One night I overheard Papa telling Mama, ”This is one time I almost wish I wasn't a deacon and that I didn't believe what the Bible says about not paying back evil for evil.”

”I know, Jodie. It's hard, but the only way to live is by the Bible. And it teaches, 'Recompense to no man evil for evil.'”

”Nannie, I'm holding my breath for fear of what the benighted fool will do next”

”I declare, Jodie, you're gonna wear out the soles of your boots pacing the floor! Please sit down. He can't harm the child, or any of us-not with us and everybody else in the settlement watching.”

In a few more weeks, after Papa got the carpenters started on building the new store, he quit pacing the floor every night.

And when the store was finished, Papa helped me draw two pictures of it to send off in the mail to my big brothers, who just kept on staying in the army.

Clyde wrote back that he was keeping his picture in a knapsack. Walker wrote that he was going to take his with him all the way to France. He didn't say when he was going or how long he might stay, and Mama almost cried.

The very next day-right in the middle of a tea party I was having with my doll and Mierd's old cat Nero-I heard Mama laughing and crying, all at the same time! I hid the tea cakes from Nero and ran to see about Mama. She was talking on the phone to Papa and whispered to me what it was about.

I ran quick to tell Grandma Ming.

”Grandma! Grandma! Kaiser Bill ain't gonna cut off my hands!

Yours neither!” I was fairly yelling as I dashed into Grandma Ming's house and up to the side of her bed.

”Bandershanks, baby, what in this round world are you talking about?”

”The phone ringed, and Mama was just a-laughing and a-crying and couldn't hardly talk! I asked her, 'What's the matter?' And she said, 'The war's over!' I said, 'Is the old Kaiser coming?'

And Mama said, 'O Lord, no!'” I stopped a minute to catch my breath. ”So, Grandma, Kaiser Bill ain't coming! He ain't gonna cross the ocean to cut off little kids' and old women's arms and legs!”

Grandma didn't say a word.

”Ain't you glad, Grandma?”

She just sat up in bed a little bit straighter and went on knitting and knitting, and her needles went on clicking and clicking. She looked at me over the gold rims of her eyegla.s.ses.

Then, all of a sudden, Grandma threw down her knitting and started calling Grandpa Thad as loud as she could holler!

”Thad! Thad! Oh, Thad!”

He didn't answer.

”Baby, run fast and find your grandpa! Tell him to make haste and com'ere!”

I darted through the kitchen, out the back door, and was at the yard gate when I almost ran smack into both Grandpa Thad and Mama. They were walking so fast and talking so fast they didn't notice me.

”Ming! It's over! The war's over! They signed the Armistice!”

”Glory be!” Grandma cried, raising her arms up high and letting her hands fall back down on the bed covers and counterpane. ”Glory be! Our boys will come home! Thank G.o.d!