"Well, that is something I must say," Grandma replied, looking at shadows on the walls. "I was wondering why you called me and why you were asking about Danny. He was fine, not so much as a headache. He slept a lot, but that was it. I figured it was because he didn't have anyone to play with or was just tired from school. Can you tell me anything about this man going after Lizzy and Mary? You say he just showed up out of nowhere at one of the dances the same night EJ woke up, which is strange. Any more on that one or something or by chance?" She asked.
"No, Grandma, just that warning that he gave something about a storm was coming, and he was the warning. Then the house burnt down. Do you think that was the warning he was talking about?" Grandma shook her head no. "No, me neither," Martha said.
"Doesn't make sense, you see; if it was the house, it is too simple since you were planning to build another, so it was no big deal," Grandma replies. "Of course not that soon to be warned to be prepared. Yes, I still think it can be done by spring; in fact, I bet you are in it before Christmas at the latest; heck, you might be having your first Thanksgiving in that house and knowing Wayne and those boys, yes, sir. Now, help me get settled in here; we girls must go shopping. We can leave the three little ones here with the aunts to play. Right, boys?" She replied.
"Yes, Grandma," he said, giving her a big hug and kiss. And you, little one Ted," he pinches his nose. "You can call me Grandma too," she said, giving him a kiss on the cheek and a big squeeze.
* * * *
The boys finished KP duty with wrinkled hands, soaked clothes and aprons, and tired bodies from doing all those dishes and cleaning the kitchen. "Well, boys, see you in a couple of hours, then you can start dinner. It says here you are cooking tonight," Bart replies.
"We can't cook," they all said.
"Too bad because it's my night off. Best go change those wet clothes, hanging them up to dry. Good work, boys," he said, slapping them hard on the back, knocking the wind right out of them and leaving them standing there.
The boys sat on the porch, trying to catch their breath. "Man, are we in trouble," Robert said, looking at the ground.
Pa and Richard walked over, seeing them hungover, wet, and soggy. "I've seen rats look better than you three," Pa laughed.
"Pa, Richard, where have you been?" They asked.
"Working just like you, that's all," they replied. Robert shows him the roster, which says they are cooking supper tonight for the camp. "OH! That's the problem," Pa said. Richard starts laughing, showing their roster. "That's right, boys. You. You are looking at the chefs tonight, so you best go change those clothes," Pa laughed. "Get back here in a couple of hours, if not sooner."
"Yes, Pa," the boys answered before entering the kitchen. "Oh, Robert, make sure to change those bandages; we don't need that infection returning."
"Yes, Pa, we promise."
The boys headed back to the cabin to change their clothes, which they hung up to dry. They put on a new set of dry clothes and made sure EJ's bandages were changed. "Robert, look at this. See how red it is around his waist," Will said, removing the bandage.
"I don't like it. I'd better get Pa just in case," Robert said.
"Sorry, EJ," Will replies. EJ sighed, trying not to make a face as he rubbed the redness.
Pa sees it too, and at the scarring, then rubbing his chin, frowning. "Well, Doc said minimum, we went maximum too fast. EJ, can you settle for a farmer, a lumberjack?" he asked.
"Yes, Pa," EJ sighs. Pa helps with his shorts and overalls, then puts on thick socks and boots. He carries the thick shirt with him to the kitchen so that when it gets cold, he can put it on as a jacket. They would sit him in warm places around the kitchen as night came.
The boys and Pa all head back to the kitchen to prepare dinner, where Richard is starting to put things together, handing the boys peelers for carrots and potatoes. They are preparing pot roast, candy carrots, and glazed potatoes with homemade round basil rolls, and peach pie for dessert. It was a snap, according to Pa, whistling about the kitchen and watching the boys peeling. Pa could use a knife quicker than any woman they'd seen whistling Dixie; don't tell Ma. They'd always make him cook dinner, and the boys, as Pa and Richard, seasoned the roast. Pa popped it in the oven, made a quick turn swinging hands and arms to bow and taste the gravy, then did a little jig. "Needs salt."
They add a little of this and a little of that. Turn gives them wink chop some more. With a ratty tat, tat, ratty, ratty tat, tat, it was amazing watching them work. Then, it was time for the dough as they each gave them a pile to kneed and roll into little balls. Then Pa would sprinkle just a hint of green basils on top with garlic butter, then put them in the oven to brown. It filled the kitchen with a wondrous smell between that and the pot roast in the oven. Then they went back to chopping with a ratty tat, tat, ratty tat with bow at the gravy, "Mumm, mm, add a little more of this, I think, and a pinch of this."
Then turn ratty tat, tat, ratty, ratty tat, tat. Richard put the veggies into the cooker and the potatoes in the oven with sauce and milk to glaze. Pa pulled the rolls on top to cool as they sang along in the kitchen, giving a bow at the gravy. "Mumm, mmm, yep, it's ready," Pa said, taking a look at the pot roast and checking the time on the clock. "Yes, time for the cobbler boys, then we are done," Pa said.
The peach pie was easy to pour and top with the secret of Ma's pie topping crust. Throw them in the oven, wait an hour, put things in pans, and serve. The boys checked the list; all was done and did a bow. "Gent's dinner is served," taking off their aprons. The best part about cooking here is that you do not have to do the dishes as the boys leave happily to the next person on the list.
Aunty M. and Marty were impressed by the taste and what they heard so far from their camp as they stood, giving them warm applause for a job well done. Of course, they knew they were up to the task and more for what Aunty M. had planned. Martha has filled her in on what they can do, this group of boys. It's time for a little fun, after all. No play makes life a trial. Let's say work is play, so leave it at that, she winked at Marty and her boys in the room.
After dinner, loggers pulled out the fiddles, jugs, old washboards, and hollowed-out tree stumps. "Everyone grabs a partner by the arm, step-in-line, and slaps their knees like a fallen tree. Swing the line to the left, then to the right. Left those legs gents high to the treetops, around, we go and shimmy to the ground. Clap those hands high into the air like thunder, boys, call out gents, "Hi ya, ha, timber, ha."
When they danced, it was a sight to see. Husky loggers danced as the ground shook beneath them. Then the whistle blew, and the music stopped as everyone returned to the cabin for bed. And man, were they tired as the boys climbed into their beds with ten other men in the room. All were dressed in long red underwear and very few white pairs, stretching, yawing, and climbing into their beds. "Don't mind us," they laughed as they sat and stared. "Trust me, you'll be glad you are wearing a pair," as they turned over in their beds, giving them a wink.
They weren't kidding, either, as the night grew dark. The boys nearly froze as their teeth started to chatter, jumping out of bed into their long underwear and thick socks. Pa put on an extra quilt for EJ and a cotton nightshirt that Aunty M. and the ladies made him. He was nice and toasty, just like Doc ordered, and put his bed close to the pot-belly stove.
Everyone sawed logs until morning, and then the whistle blew, "Wwoooooooohhhhhhha." The boys and Pa nearly hit the ceiling, sprawling onto the floor. "I think I prefer our alarm clock better," Richard said, standing up with a creak in his back. Richard rubbed the sore muscles in his shoulders.
Will and Robert laughed. "Yeah, he misses you, too, I bet," Will replies.
They hurried, dressed, and went down to breakfast with eyes popping out of their heads as they saw Aunty M. and Marty loading up their plates. Steak, eggs, flapjacks, hot biscuits with apple butter, orange juice, and milk slapped on a double portion on their plates. "You boys need to eat every bite. Put some meat on those bones," poking each one of them in the ribs. The plate was so heavy that Pa had to carry his eyes and plate with it as they all sat at the table.
After breakfast, Bill was waiting for them with a smile on his face, and they all headed off in a different direction today. He stopped the horse, stood at the spot, waited, put his finger in the air, and then listened. "Yep, this is the spot," he said as the ground underneath them began to shake. You could hear trembling up above.
"Spot for what?" They all asked as the noise got louder and closer. Their eyes went wider, watching these huge objects coming down the hill. They rolled faster and faster, then went right past them, and then another one followed it.
The boys quickly jumped out of the wagon and stood behind Bill as he laughed as they watched the trees rolling down the hill. "It's log rolling time, boys," he said as he slapped them on the back and took them down the path to the water. "Hope you can swim," he said with a laugh, "because you will get wet," he pushed Will and Robert into the water and handed each a pole to bring the logs together. "You thought driving a wagon was fun?" He said as he picked EJ up and set him on a log, pushing him downstream with a pole in EJ's hand, laughs.
Bill himself climbs on a log, dragging trees towards him as he floats. He stays dry as he walks skillfully on the log back and forth, gathering them in and then roping them together into a larger raft. Then he hops onto theirs and shows them how it's done. Robert and Will take several baths in the water, falling off the logs as EJ guides his little raft to where they are going downstream, busting a gut watching them.
Yes, there was a reason for all those extra clothes, it seems. As Will, Robert, and EJ changed clothes again, hanging them up to dry, they headed out for more work and fun as lumberjack farmers, with smiles on their faces and sore muscles rubbing their arms and legs.
Today was moving day, according to the roster; they were moving down to the lower camp, leaving the boys up here on top as they waved goodbye to them, slapping them hard on the back as they went. Aunty M. puts up a new sign, Downing's Lumber Mill, putting the old one in the back of the pick-up. Reaching the bottom of the camp was almost the same, except you could see stacks of the finished product. Again, the whistle blew, and men lined up. This time, there were only sixteen men, some older than the rest, not as rugged as the ones on top of the mountain but dressed all the same.
Aunty M. at the head introduced them all as before. Pa said again. "I thought you said 15 percent?" Pa read the letter again.
"This is Wayne. Now go settle in; we have work to do," she said, giving him a swift kick to get him moving. The boys got to the cabin, found beds, put their things away, and joined the rest of the group. As the boys come out to see Aunty M., "I've got just the job for you two boys,"
Aunty M. said, placing her hand on her hips, then pointed at Will and Robert and whistled for a couple of men in the mill. "These boys like to play with wood; take them away, boys," she said as she laughed out loud. "Now then, what to do with you, EJ?" She asked, looking around the yard. "Oh, yes, that will do nicely," she said, giving Pa a wink and waves for another man with a horse and wagon. "His name is Rick. Rick was a little younger than Bill, and when we say younger, his beard was brown instead of white, and it matched his deep brown chocolate eyes, which seemed warm and friendly.
He wasn't a big man, as he stood about less than five feet tall. He was almost bald and had skinny arms and scrawny legs. In some ways, he reminded EJ of his father. The difference was he wasn't close to him, and he smiled at him, making him feel he belonged. Aunty M. said. "Rick, show him around, then put him to work," she said, handing over his clipboard. "Wayne says he's good at that," and then takes the reins, and puts them in EJ's hands. "Now that's better," with a nod and whispers into Rick's ear. "I'd hang on tight if I were you," she said.
As EJ flicks his wrist, the horse jumps, and gallops down the road, turning left and right. It swings the wagon wheels off the ground, and poor Rick's face turns white. Then, EJ controls it and wipes his head with a clip-clop. You could hear Aunty M. laughing. "That's my boy," slapping Wayne on the back, wiping his face watching. Then, taking Richard and Wayne by the arm, walking down to the logs. "Alright, boys, it's your turn," she said as she pushed them into the water and handed them poles. "Peter here will show you how it's done," leaves them standing there.
Wayne got on a log and tried to walk on it just like Marty and Peter, but he soon started "splashing" down. He went for his first bath, then second and third. Marty, Peter, and Richard never laughed so hard in their lives until it was Richard's turn to try. He got halfway, then "splashed," and he was down in the water for his bath again and again.
"Now look who's laughing, boys," Wayne said as they all cracked up, pushing Marty and Peter into the water for theirs.
Screaming and laughing. "Not fair, not fair," they laughed, slapping each other on the back. After a while of working and having some more fun, the boys changed their clothes and got ready for lunch.
Will and Robert are in the mill processing the lumber as it comes out of the water. The big trees they drop down to strip off the bark into sheets, then into different sizes of wood planks, then taken out to the yard to dry. It was their job to guide the wood, ensure it lands in the right direction, remove the bark after it's been cut off, and place it into piles for mulching or kindling or made for other things.
The boys worked all day until the whistle blew for lunch, then joined everyone back up at the mess hall, laughing at the day's work. Again, lunch was huge, and their bellies wanted to burst before leaving out the door. This time, Aunty M. kept them all together, loading trucks of lumber. EJ was to count every piece and every truck that left the gate. Man, did their muscles ache after more dancing and celebrating when they went to bed? Where do they find the energy as they drag themselves to bed?
Again, the whistle blew, the boys' eyes flying open with the sound, "WWEEHHHHoooooo." They preferred their alarm clock back on the farm to the mechanical sound. Today, Peter is the chef and has orders to triple their portions as he piles their plates high: three ham steaks, fire potatoes, eggs, corn biscuits with honey butter, two large glasses of milk, and orange juice.
It took half the morning to eat it all as Aunty M. came around, poured them each another glass of milk, watched them eat every single bite, and wiped their chins until she was satisfied with a wink and a smile. "Alright, boys, let's go," she said as she dragged Pa by the arm. "We have work to do," she yelled back. "Are ya comen, boys, we have sheep that are waiten' fer ya."