Folly by Marthe Jocelyn Page B
Authors: Marthe Jocelyn
Tags: United States, General, Historical, People & Places, History, Family, Juvenile Fiction, Children: Young Adult (Gr. 10-12), Europe, Great Britain, 19th century, London (England), Diseases, Family - General, Health & Daily Living, Household employees, Historical - United States - 19th Century, People & Places - Europe, Business; Careers; Occupations, Foundlings
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down the ashes, lighting the fires ... like I were ablaze myself.
I wasted no time a-trying to trick myself. I knew full well that I were knapped and having a baby. My life were over at the same instant it had just begun. Every bit of me trembled; in love, in a panic to keep it hid, and sure too that I would die the way Mam had, birthing Nan. And what would I do, anyway, without Mam? That was what set me to whimpering, pretending it were a cinder in my eye, not all the other terrible true things that occurred to me in those few minutes, but only not having me mam to tell--or not tell, however I might choose.
I scuttled to the cellar with the ash bucket to finish choking and sniffling. Lordy, I were sick of crying. I sat there still as stone for a bit, the cold air clearing the heat and damp from my face, soothing me even.
Finally I thought of Caden and got a blow of hope through me, like when you think there's only gray ash in the grate, but with a few strong puffs you've got sparks like scarlet dust and then, wouldn't you know it? Day after day, the fire lights up after all, from one tiny, fiery ember straight to having enough water hot for Lady's bath, and the tea, and the washing up, and oh, if it's Monday, the laundry.
So I kept Caden's cheeky smile right there in my mind, to get me back up the stairs and doing what had to be done to pass the hours--how many would it be?--days, maybe ... until I'd touch that smile with my own chapped fingers.
134
OLIVER 1888 Kings
The boy could rattle off the kings and queens of England right from the beginning, from Egbert in 828 AD, long before William the Conqueror, right up to Queen Victoria, including the dates of all their reigns. He was keen, all right. Oliver liked to think of tasks for him. Little mental challenges. It wasn't right to favor him, Oliver knew that, but what was a teacher to do with a bright boy? He was naturally inclined to lists, so let him proceed....
"Mr. Chester, I've learned what you suggested. Shall I tell you the kings whose names began with the letter E ?"
"If you can recite while you clean the slates, boy, I'll listen."
135
James cheerfully dipped a cloth into the bucket of murky water and began. "Egbert, Ethelwulf, Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred. All those Ethels were Ethelwulf's sons, and so was Alfred, who came next, but he's not an E . Then Edward the Elder, Ethelstan, Edmund the Magnificent, Eadred, Eadwig the All-Fair--"
"Watch it, Nelligan, you're splashing the floor. How many are there, anyway?"
"Edgar the Peaceable, Edward the Martyr ... I think there are twenty, sir, but does Elizabeth count? She'd make it twenty-one."
"And why wouldn't she count?"
"She's not a king, sir, is she?"
"Then you'll have to rename your category if you want to include her."
"All right then, monarchs whose names--"
"Hey, I asked for clean slates, not lakes, boy!"
"I'll mop the floor after, sir. Sir?"
"Yes, Nelligan."
"We both have brown hair, don't we? And we both think gruel is foul."
"Indeed we do."
"We both like knowing things about kings."
"You've got quite a list!"
"And football! We both love football!"
"Better than anything."
"Don't you think that's a lot of things the same?" James wrung out the cloth and spread it neatly on the edge of
136
the bucket before looking straight into Oliver's eyes. "What if you're my father?"
Oliver caught his breath. "Oh, my dear boy ... I'm afraid that's not possible ... I ... I'm nobody's father." It pinched him to say it. "And nobody's son."
137
MARY 1878 Telling About Telling
Telling Caden one simple sentence were an act of fierce bravery, and took some working up to. No rush , I'd say to myself ... I've got time before there'll be anything to notice. Aside from feeling wobbly in the mornings, and I can do better at hiding that . But on smarter days, time ticked like a grandfather clock between my ears, the pendulum banging away like a drum.
The worst were seeing him, my mouth and body with all the
I wasted no time a-trying to trick myself. I knew full well that I were knapped and having a baby. My life were over at the same instant it had just begun. Every bit of me trembled; in love, in a panic to keep it hid, and sure too that I would die the way Mam had, birthing Nan. And what would I do, anyway, without Mam? That was what set me to whimpering, pretending it were a cinder in my eye, not all the other terrible true things that occurred to me in those few minutes, but only not having me mam to tell--or not tell, however I might choose.
I scuttled to the cellar with the ash bucket to finish choking and sniffling. Lordy, I were sick of crying. I sat there still as stone for a bit, the cold air clearing the heat and damp from my face, soothing me even.
Finally I thought of Caden and got a blow of hope through me, like when you think there's only gray ash in the grate, but with a few strong puffs you've got sparks like scarlet dust and then, wouldn't you know it? Day after day, the fire lights up after all, from one tiny, fiery ember straight to having enough water hot for Lady's bath, and the tea, and the washing up, and oh, if it's Monday, the laundry.
So I kept Caden's cheeky smile right there in my mind, to get me back up the stairs and doing what had to be done to pass the hours--how many would it be?--days, maybe ... until I'd touch that smile with my own chapped fingers.
134
OLIVER 1888 Kings
The boy could rattle off the kings and queens of England right from the beginning, from Egbert in 828 AD, long before William the Conqueror, right up to Queen Victoria, including the dates of all their reigns. He was keen, all right. Oliver liked to think of tasks for him. Little mental challenges. It wasn't right to favor him, Oliver knew that, but what was a teacher to do with a bright boy? He was naturally inclined to lists, so let him proceed....
"Mr. Chester, I've learned what you suggested. Shall I tell you the kings whose names began with the letter E ?"
"If you can recite while you clean the slates, boy, I'll listen."
135
James cheerfully dipped a cloth into the bucket of murky water and began. "Egbert, Ethelwulf, Ethelbald, Ethelbert, Ethelred. All those Ethels were Ethelwulf's sons, and so was Alfred, who came next, but he's not an E . Then Edward the Elder, Ethelstan, Edmund the Magnificent, Eadred, Eadwig the All-Fair--"
"Watch it, Nelligan, you're splashing the floor. How many are there, anyway?"
"Edgar the Peaceable, Edward the Martyr ... I think there are twenty, sir, but does Elizabeth count? She'd make it twenty-one."
"And why wouldn't she count?"
"She's not a king, sir, is she?"
"Then you'll have to rename your category if you want to include her."
"All right then, monarchs whose names--"
"Hey, I asked for clean slates, not lakes, boy!"
"I'll mop the floor after, sir. Sir?"
"Yes, Nelligan."
"We both have brown hair, don't we? And we both think gruel is foul."
"Indeed we do."
"We both like knowing things about kings."
"You've got quite a list!"
"And football! We both love football!"
"Better than anything."
"Don't you think that's a lot of things the same?" James wrung out the cloth and spread it neatly on the edge of
136
the bucket before looking straight into Oliver's eyes. "What if you're my father?"
Oliver caught his breath. "Oh, my dear boy ... I'm afraid that's not possible ... I ... I'm nobody's father." It pinched him to say it. "And nobody's son."
137
MARY 1878 Telling About Telling
Telling Caden one simple sentence were an act of fierce bravery, and took some working up to. No rush , I'd say to myself ... I've got time before there'll be anything to notice. Aside from feeling wobbly in the mornings, and I can do better at hiding that . But on smarter days, time ticked like a grandfather clock between my ears, the pendulum banging away like a drum.
The worst were seeing him, my mouth and body with all the
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