Part 26 (1/2)

”Let's just go on, Hiram. It won't take more'n three hours.”

We rode and rode, up hills, down hills, around curves, across shallow streams-much longer than three hours, it seemed to me.

About midmorning we came to low, red hills and pine trees and pin oaks that I'd pa.s.sed before. Then we could see a fork in the road, where another road branched off. The new road looked a good bit like the way to go if you want to cross Rocky Head Bridge, but I couldn't be sure.

”Baby, you know this stretch through here?”

”No, sir. I just know the trees.”

”That's good!”

There was a lot of mist everywhere. Fog, Uncle Hiram said.

Miss Mattie took off her shawl and tied it around my head.

”No use a-lettin' you take your death of cold, sugar!”

Before we got to the corner where the two roads came together we saw a bunch of men on horseback galloping toward us. But they didn't see us, and as they came to the split in the road, they turned their horses to go the other way. We were real close to them. Still, they didn't look toward our wagon!

”It's Papa! Uncle Hiram, yonder's Papa! He's that'n on Jake!

In front! Papa, stop!”

”Thank the Lord!” Miss Mattie squeezed me.

Uncle Hiram stood up, yelling.

”Hey! Hey, there! Hey!”

The horses kept loping up the other road. Papa and the other men wouldn't look back.

Uncle Hiram sat down real quick and handed the reins to his wife.

”Mattie, make these mules move! When we get to the corner, cut over to that other road! They never seen us on account o'

this thick fog risin' outta Rocky Head Bottom!”

Uncle Hiram grabbed out his pocket knife. I couldn't imagine what he was fixing to do. He slit his britches leg, clear up above his knee! Then he s.n.a.t.c.hed off his wooden leg and tied his pocket handkerchief to it! Next, he caught hold of his wife's shoulder, jumped up on the wagon seat, and started waving his peg leg in the air!

”Hey! Hey, there! We've got her, y'all! She's all right!

She's all right!”

When Papa finally got me home, he toted me straight to Mama.

She grabbed me into her arms and held me tight, a long time. And, for the rest of the day, she let me sit in her lap.

And Mierd let me hold her best doll in my lap. And Wiley gave me his blue marble, for keeps.

Mama said it would take her a solid week to brush the leaves and matted tangles out of my hair. It didn't. By Friday morning, when my two brothers got home from that World War that had stopped, Mama had my braids looking fine again. Besides that, the briar scratches on my face were gone, and I had me some new shoes!

But Clyde and Walker came rus.h.i.+ng in with so many suitcases and sacks and presents and there was so much kissing and neck-hugging that I didn't even think to show them my hair or my lace-up shoes.

While we were getting ready to have our big celebrating supper, Mama thought of nothing except fixing good stuff to eat.

At least, that's the way she was talking.