a wedding? That would be the thing to do. I just don’t know what in the hell is going on in my own house anymore!” said Lila with a pained face. “There’s one other thing.” Granny slowed in her rocker and looked at Lila.
“What do you mean?” asked Granny.
Lila stared at the fire burning in the chimney and said, “Jules McGinnis. Have you thought about that bonnet and Jules McGinnis?” Lila leaned forward and looked at Granny. “Well, don’t tell me that it hasn’t crossed your mind.”
“I don’t reckon it has and even if it had, it’s too late to worry about it now. She ain’t talking. I’m not sure why she ain’t talking but she ain’t. No, I don’t believe that the father of that baby is Jules McGinnis.”
Isabella entered the house. “I’ll tell the both of you right now that it is not! Is that what you think of me? Is this what the two of you have come to, gossiping about me like you gossip with Sarah Brewer? Do you think that I would offer myself for a fancy hat? Is that what you think?” Isabella cried as she ran from the room.
Lila followed Isabella into her bedroom. She closed the door. Then she kissed her on the cheek. “Granny and I have discussed this. We both want you to go to Savannah .”
“ Savannah ? Why Savannah ?”
“It will be best. We have a cousin there. Her name is Allettie McGillivray; she owns a tavern on the riverfront. She and her husband have been there for years. You can go there until you have the baby. When you come home, maybe things will have changed.”
“Changed?” Isabella said with a pained face.
“Yes, maybe by then we will have sold a crop of cotton and we won’t all be so worried. This is not a good place for a young girl who is about to have a baby,” Lila exclaimed. “Maybe by then, Tom Slaughter will realize what has happened and the two of you will get married like you should. I don’t know why in the world you want to make this harder than it is!”
Isabella leaped off her bed. Her eyes went to her mother. “I told you and Granny that I did not want a word of this mentioned to Tom. If I can’t trust you, I’ll walk out of this cabin right now and I will never come back. Promise me, Mama, that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone, promise me!”
“How are you going to take care of yourself?”
“I’ll take care of myself. I promise.” Lila put her arms around Isabella and gave her a tight embrace.
“Granny and I are going to worry ourselves to death.”
“Promise me, Mama, promise me.”
“Yes, I promise,” Lila said wearily.
The fog from the river was thick the next morning. Lila rose to find that Granny was not in the house. She walked out on the front porch and saw Granny coming up the long dirt road. Tick followed close behind. Dew covered the ground. A rooster crowed in the distance. Granny walked through the tall grass toward the house. Her shoes were wet and muddy.
Jesse had been chopping wood for two days. Winter was coming. Granny turned her head to a dim light that flooded the barn. She knew that Jesse was up. When she reached the old barn door, she knocked on it. Jesse opened the door and looked up at the sky.
“It’s ‘bout hog killing weather, ain’t it, Granny?” A bible lay on top of Jesse’s straw bed. Jesse watched the old woman walk over and pick it up.
“You read this, son?” Jesse stared past the door.
“A little bit.”
“Who taught you?”
“My pa could read a little. He taught me what he knew.” His face brightened. “The almanac says we going to have a cold winter.” Granny stood for a moment and looked at him, then she looked at the hole in his brown floppy hat. Suddenly, they smelled an awful smell.
“That dang pole cat’s in here again!” said Granny with blazing eyes. “That cat is always stinking up the place. You seen it yet?”
“I ain’t seen it, but I shure has smelled it.”
Granny stared at Jesse. “There may be some gossip around here soon that
“What do you mean?” asked Granny.
Lila stared at the fire burning in the chimney and said, “Jules McGinnis. Have you thought about that bonnet and Jules McGinnis?” Lila leaned forward and looked at Granny. “Well, don’t tell me that it hasn’t crossed your mind.”
“I don’t reckon it has and even if it had, it’s too late to worry about it now. She ain’t talking. I’m not sure why she ain’t talking but she ain’t. No, I don’t believe that the father of that baby is Jules McGinnis.”
Isabella entered the house. “I’ll tell the both of you right now that it is not! Is that what you think of me? Is this what the two of you have come to, gossiping about me like you gossip with Sarah Brewer? Do you think that I would offer myself for a fancy hat? Is that what you think?” Isabella cried as she ran from the room.
Lila followed Isabella into her bedroom. She closed the door. Then she kissed her on the cheek. “Granny and I have discussed this. We both want you to go to Savannah .”
“ Savannah ? Why Savannah ?”
“It will be best. We have a cousin there. Her name is Allettie McGillivray; she owns a tavern on the riverfront. She and her husband have been there for years. You can go there until you have the baby. When you come home, maybe things will have changed.”
“Changed?” Isabella said with a pained face.
“Yes, maybe by then we will have sold a crop of cotton and we won’t all be so worried. This is not a good place for a young girl who is about to have a baby,” Lila exclaimed. “Maybe by then, Tom Slaughter will realize what has happened and the two of you will get married like you should. I don’t know why in the world you want to make this harder than it is!”
Isabella leaped off her bed. Her eyes went to her mother. “I told you and Granny that I did not want a word of this mentioned to Tom. If I can’t trust you, I’ll walk out of this cabin right now and I will never come back. Promise me, Mama, that you will not breathe a word of this to anyone, promise me!”
“How are you going to take care of yourself?”
“I’ll take care of myself. I promise.” Lila put her arms around Isabella and gave her a tight embrace.
“Granny and I are going to worry ourselves to death.”
“Promise me, Mama, promise me.”
“Yes, I promise,” Lila said wearily.
The fog from the river was thick the next morning. Lila rose to find that Granny was not in the house. She walked out on the front porch and saw Granny coming up the long dirt road. Tick followed close behind. Dew covered the ground. A rooster crowed in the distance. Granny walked through the tall grass toward the house. Her shoes were wet and muddy.
Jesse had been chopping wood for two days. Winter was coming. Granny turned her head to a dim light that flooded the barn. She knew that Jesse was up. When she reached the old barn door, she knocked on it. Jesse opened the door and looked up at the sky.
“It’s ‘bout hog killing weather, ain’t it, Granny?” A bible lay on top of Jesse’s straw bed. Jesse watched the old woman walk over and pick it up.
“You read this, son?” Jesse stared past the door.
“A little bit.”
“Who taught you?”
“My pa could read a little. He taught me what he knew.” His face brightened. “The almanac says we going to have a cold winter.” Granny stood for a moment and looked at him, then she looked at the hole in his brown floppy hat. Suddenly, they smelled an awful smell.
“That dang pole cat’s in here again!” said Granny with blazing eyes. “That cat is always stinking up the place. You seen it yet?”
“I ain’t seen it, but I shure has smelled it.”
Granny stared at Jesse. “There may be some gossip around here soon that
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