Part Two

Nick rubbed his hands together to warm them and made his way to the horses’ stalls.
      “Hey, Penny.  Hungry, ol’ girl?”
      Nick rubbed Penny’s neck and gave a lopsided grin.  “You’re a tough horse, I know, but everyone needs food.”
      He threw a lump of hay into Penny’s stall and watched the horse chew on the hay contentedly.
      Nick fiddled with a piece of hay, staring at it, but not really seeing it. 
      He looked at Penny again and murmured, “I wonder why Jo asked me to pray for her.  I’m not even religious.”
      Nick imagined Jo sitting poised at the dinner table, her voice clear and striking when she asked God’s blessing on the meal.  Jo was usually spiritually strong, the one who insisted on going to church each week.
      The barn door rattled in the wind, the wooden latch almost insufficient to withstand the force.
      Nick felt a sudden claustrophobia.  “I’ve gotta get out of here, Penny,” Nick said, his eyes scanning the room uneasily.  “I ain’t staying here a minute longer!”

I’ve collected two dollars and twenty cents.  How about you?” Nan asked intently.
      Nat looked down at the coins in his hand.  “I have three dollars here.”
      Nan pursed her lips.  “It might be enough.  But I wanted a really nice coat.  One that Mrs. Jo will be really proud of.”
      “I think she’ll be glad with whatever we get her, if it’s from the heart,” Nat reasoned.  “Besides, five dollars can buy a nice coat if we look carefully.”
      “I guess so. . . .”  Nan handed her coins to Nat hesitantly, entrusting her small portion of money that she had saved for months, along with the other money Bess had given.  “Here.  Keep ‘em safe . . . I don’t want to lose ‘em.”

For some strange reason, Nick suddenly had the urge to pray for Jo.  He had just finished stacking wood by the side of the barn, and no one was around.
      The sky was cloaked with dull gray clouds, and the sunlight was quickly fading away beneath the trees.
      He sat on the chopping stump, and lowered his head and awkwardly began.  “God . . . I don’t know if yer listenin’ to me, but Jo’s in some kinda’ trouble.  I guess You know about that, though.”  He rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand.  “Please help her out, somehow.  She’s a real fine lady, and she deserves the best . . .”
      Unseen by Nick, Jo had been standing by the corner of the barn turned and slipped away, a small smile on her lips.

“You want to go into town alone?”  Jo raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms.  “What is this all about?  Why can’t Nick or I go with you?  I need to get salt and eggs, and I might want to look for other things, too!”
      Nan, Nat, and Dan glanced at each other.
      “Please, Mrs. Jo,” Nan pleaded.  “We can get the salt and eggs for ya!”
      “Yeah,” Nat added, nodding shortly.  “We just want to go by ourselves because it’s . . . you know, more fun that way.”
      Dan shrugged a shoulder and added, “Bein’ out on your own, drivin’ the wagon . . . it’s like an adventure.”
      “Adventure.”  Mrs. Jo’s voice went up at the end of the word, so it was almost a question.  “You have been into town many times before by yourselves,” she gave a slight smile.
      “Yeah, but today’s different . . .” Dan stopped, disguising the sentence by his characteristic nonchalant shrug.
      Jo sighed, mentally giving in, but raising another possible objection.  “What about your chores and schoolwork?”
      “We finished most of our chores,” Nat said.
      “Yeah, and today’s Saturday.  We don’t have much homework.”
      “Okay, you may go,” Jo said deliberately, and smiled at the excited hurrahs of the children.  “Here’s the money for the salt and eggs.  Don’t forget!”
      Bess suddenly appeared in the doorway.  “I want to go, too, Aunt Jo,” she smiled serenely.
      Jo grinned.  “Very well.”
      They all hurried out the door as Jo called after them, “Have a good adventure!”

Dan was in charge of the wagon, easily slapping the horses to a faster pace with the reins, and enjoying the brisk morning air as it blew his hair back.
      “I bet you were listening there by the door all the time, Bess,” Nan laughed.
      Bess raised an eyebrow and asked innocently, “Would I do that?”
      “Yes,” Dan smirked.
      “What about you, Dan?  Haven’t you ever eavesdropped?”  Bess asked in a pretended haughtiness.
      “Who, me?  Who would I want to eavesdrop on?  Definitely not you!”
      Bess shifted uncomfortably but feigned indifference to Dan’s remark.   “Anyway, I already knew all about your scheme to buy a coat for Jo, because Nan asked me for money to help out.”
      “How much did you give, a penny?” Dan laughed sarcastically.
      “No, I gave a dollar,” Bess said, tilting her head in the air.
      “I bet ya spend more than that for a piece of candy.”
      Bess looked angrily at Dan.   “This is supposed to be a happy outing, so if you can’t keep a gentlemanly conversation, I suggest you be silent.”
      Dan grinned and would have replied, but the general store was now in front of them, and he slowed the horse down, eventually stopping by the front door.
      Dan jumped out of the wagon first and offered a hand to help Bess out of the wagon.  She accepted reluctantly.  She remembered the time he had helped her into the wagon before the dance, and she couldn’t help smiling now.
      Meanwhile, Nat helped Nan from the wagon before she could jump down by herself.  She was not used to relying upon anyone, but she awkwardly held onto Nat’s hand as she jumped out the back of the wagon, feeling a slight twinge of excitement at the new experience, though she was hardly willing to admit it to herself.
      The store’s windows were gleaming, and the goods that were held behind them were laid out in tempting arrays.  The bell jingled over the door when they entered.
      “Hello, children,” Mr. Gerson said, smiling their way.
      “Hi, Mr. Gerson,” came the semi-unison reply.
      “May I help you with something?” Mr. Gerson asked.
      Dan shrugged and said, “Nah, we’re just lookin’ for a coat.”
      “Well, we just received a shipment, and there are some dandy, warm coats among them.”  Mr. Gerson came out from behind the counter and showed them a row of stylish coats of different colors.
      Nan ran her hand over the soft, thick material and looked excited.  “Yeah, this is perfect!”
      “How much?” Nat asked intently.
      “Eight dollars.”
      “That much?” Dan asked incredulously.  “We only have five dollars.”
      Bess, who had been looking at the silky dresses from Paris, spoke up hesitantly.  “I have another few dollars I can contribute.”
      Dan raised his eyebrows in surprise.  “Thanks, Bess,” he half-grinned, accepting the money that she held out to him.
      “Which color should we get?” Nan asked, amazed at the numerous shades.
      “How about blue?  Mrs. Jo likes that color,” Nat said.
      “Blue it is,” Dan nodded, handing the money to Mr. Gerson.
      “We can’t forget the eggs and salt,” Nat reminded.
      “Yeah.  Thanks,” Dan clapped Nat on the back.
      The quartet filed out the door, carrying the bags cheerfully.
      Suddenly, a woman clad in green ran in between them; or rather, tried to run in between them, but in her haste she knocked into Dan, who was carrying most of the groceries, and the eggs and salt flew out of the bag, pelting Bess’s dress with egg yolks.
      Bess stood in shock, gaping and brushing her skirt in disgust.
      The woman stopped and giggled.  “Hello, everyone!” She panted and smiled brightly.  “Sorry about that, Bess!  I’m always so clumsy!”  She giggled again.
      They faced her, the surprise showing clearly on their faces.  There in front of them stood Isabel McGregor!

Part 3

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