Chapter 7

"I just can't believe you are riding off to Mountain Top today!" Abby exclaimed. "I have been in labor for a week now and you plan on gallivanting off for a chat."

"Now Gabby, I love you dearly, but I think our son is just playing games with you. I have checked you over myself and you aren't as far along in labor as you seem to think you are. I promise, I will ride over, get the week's information and get back fast, I won't even get off my horse, just gallop by the front porch, snatch the papers from Miz Maisy, circle around in the front yard and gallop off." I said with a smile. "HUMPF," was all I heard as she stomped her way back into the house and slammed the door.

I hated leaving her right now, knowing that with babies, they are as unpredictable as the weather, but if I didn't go and get the paperwork and updates now, I knew it would be one to two weeks before I could get back and late paperwork is frowned on by the people in charge. Besides, I already spoke to Thomas and he assured me that if anything happened he would ride out and fetch me. I guess I also felt a little guilty because I always enjoyed my rides to Mountain Top and the quiet time gave me time to think.

I was so lost in thought that I was riding in to Miz Maisy's yard before I realized it. Wool gathering was what my foster momma called it. I shouted "Hello," to the house to let her know I was there, but I had a feeling the barking dogs had already alerted her. I expected to see her come out quickly and felt a small bit of alarm as I dismounted from the horse and tied him up. I called, "Miz Maisy, are you in there," and finally heard some shuffling around. The old wooden door opened as I got to the top step. "Howdy, Doc," she replied. "Was just catchin' me a small nap and didn't hear you come up. How's the missus doin'," she asked. "Well," I replied, "You know Gabby, she's not as delicate as she would like me to believe, but I would say her time is getting pretty close. She is having some lower back pain and is having a hard time getting up and down. How are you," I asked as I eased down into one of the rockers on the porch. "Well doc, I've had some storms a brewing since you wuz here last. Right after you left Mary started to takin' on and before I knew, she was laboring real hard. I reckon it took us nigh on about 6 hours before that baby started crowning, kind of fast for a girl so young and her first time and all. But we got it delivered, the most pertyest boy you ever seen. Had some of the reddest hair and it fit right in with them green eyes. Well, it weighed 'bout 5 pounds and I got it cleaned up and Mary cleaned up and laid it beside its momma when she started carrying on again, hollerin' something awful." "I pulled the quilt up and looked and saw another head coming through. Now I would have never thought that that girl was gonna have 2 babies. Well, we got it birthed and I swear doc, it was the smallest baby I ever seen. Wouldn't much bigger that a cat and didn't weigh no more that 2 pounds. I could see it was having a hard time trying to breath after I cleaned it up, so's I set my kettle back on the wood stove and boiled me up some water right fast. When it got to a good rollin' boil, I moved it over to the table and took one of my yard aprons, the biggest one I had, and pulled it over my head and it's head too. After that it seemed to breathe a lot easier." "That was early Thursday mornin' and well on Sunday I got up afore daylight, cause I heard them babies a whimperin' and Mary was still wore out from the delivery and learnin' how to nurse them babies."

"I figured I would wake her up and help her get started and low and behold she was gone. Found a note she left that said that boy that fathered them babies come for her and they was a running away together. She figured there was plenty of mountain women who could take care of the babies better than her and she wouldn't even think about going back to her daddy's. And if that ain't enough Buck Morgan came by on Monday, said he heard that boy was back and he was going to take care of him, he wasn't gonna have no daughter running around with a baby and not hitched." "I explained to him that Mary had done run off and left them babies with me. Seems he didn't know there was 2 of 'em. Well he asked to see them and right off the bat said he would take the boy but I could just drown the girl, seeing as to how they weren't good for anything 'cept breeding and cleaning. He had him a woman now that could raise the boy and look after it, 'sides the girl looked liked she was gonna die anytime and he didn't have patience for a weakling." "I couldn't stop him, him being the granddaddy and all but I let him know right quick like that he was gonna bring that baby to see me 1 time a week for the next month so's I could check on him make sure he was all right. If I had to ride off to the top of the mountain to find him, I would have me a good mad spell worked up and he would be the one to catch all of it. So he agreed to that. Still, I don't have any ideay what to do with the other one. She's fine now, just a runt, but she is eating good. I give her goat milk when she gets to whimperin' and that seems to fill her up and she ain't had no more breathin' problems."

"Well, would you like for me to examine her for you?" I asked. " I don't care, probably wouldn't take more than a minute or so." "Might as well," she said, and went inside to get the baby. While she was gone I got my ledger books from the saddle bags and found where I had to enter births, walked back up to the porch, settled into the rocking chair, and started filling in the information.

"You want somethin' cold to drink?" she hollered from deep inside the little cabin. "Anything you got will be just fine," I replied and went back to making notes.

I heard her step out onto the porch and looked up to see her carrying a glass of lemonade and a small bundle. I set my books aside and reached for the bundle as she set the glass on the small wooden table between the swing and rocking chair. I was amazed as I pulled back the soft flannel, covering the face of the baby. She was a small doll. Her lips were perfectly shaped into an O, her eyelashes were long and had a slight reddish tint and she had a mass of red curls right on the top of her head. Her hands were curled into the small fists that babies make and her legs were stretched out long and at ease in her sleep. Her skin had a little dark tint to it, probably from the Indian grandmother. As I slowly laid her down on my lap to examine her, she opened her eyes and blinked at me as if to say, "Who are you?" The green eyes of the mother looked back at me through perfectly round eyes.

"Same as her momma's," Maisy said, "Got them green eyes, most babies I birthed had dark brown eyes or blue, but not this one." "Just like her brother, I reckon that's the first set of twins we've had in these parts for about 5 years. Mary's daddy said that they ain't never had twins and he don't know 'bout his dead wife's family."

I checked her reflexes, and measured her length and weight. She had baby strength in her tiny arms and legs, and from the looks of her round stomach she seemed full. I felt her head, and checked her eyes, ears and nose. "Well, she is as healthy as any baby can be," I said, "Other than being on the small side, she doesn't seem to have any problems. Just keep giving her the goat's milk is all I can tell you." "Do you have any prospects on a family to adopt her?" I asked.

"Folks round her don't take to the idea of raising a baby from a girl that's run off. Seeing as to how her momma's family is worthless they figure the blood runs in the baby and it will be, too. Besides them green eyes seem to spook most folks round these parts. Just Mary had 'em, none of her brothers nor her daddy, just her great-grandaddy on her daddy's side. I reckon her letter she left is good enough proof she gives the babies up and her daddy made his mark on a paper I gave him saying he didn't want this one. I reckon she's just a orphan 'til somebody decides they want her. I'm too old to be raisin children, but I guess the good Lord has other plans in store for me. If you will get word out in town 'bout a baby needin' a family, I sure would appreciate it doc. I will just keep feedin' her goat's milk, it'll keep her fat and sassy, as my momma used to say." Maisy got up to take the baby back in to the cabin, "Let me get my notes for you," she said, "and I will lay this little one back down. I dug out an old cradle that my young'uns used and she seems to like it just fine. I'll be right back," she said as she shuffled into the cabin.

I picked up my glass of lemonade and pondered all of the information I had just heard. It's a shame that Mary just up and left her children, but that was probably the best in the long run, everyone knows that a baby can't raise a baby or babies. Her home life seemed to be non-existent, it probably would have turned out better for Mary if her mother had lived. I said a silent prayer that she would find an easier life wherever she ended up and that the little one would find a good home soon."

Maisy came back out with her notes on the locals for the past week and other than the birth of the babies there didn't seem to be much more information. As I packed up my notes and ledgers, I told her I would get word out in town to some of the local people about the baby and assured her that an infant would be easy to place with a family and that I would make sure that the family was checked out and that the baby would have a good home. "Have you named her?" I asked. "I figured that would be best left up to whoever raised her," she replied. "Right now I just call her baby." "It will probably be 2 weeks before I get back up here, with Gabby getting ready to deliver any time now, so I probably won't see you next week," I said. "That will be just fine," she replied, "I will probably be gettin' caught up on my sleep round here for the next couple of days, and my boys are comin' this Saturday to turn over my garden, so I won't have to worry about plantin' or anything."

I looked back as got to the bottom of the hill and she seemed to be dozing already. I hoped she got her needed rest and stayed healthy, I don't know what I would do if I lost Miz Maisy. I also said a prayer for the baby, hoping she would find a good home soon, little did I realize just how God works in mysterious ways.