Chapter 29

I dropped the curtain. I had stared at that snow so long everything I looked at was white. Here it was the end of January and it was still snowing. I believed this was as much snow as I could remember from way back when.

I sighed as I sat down in my rocker in front of the fire and slid the quilting frame back over to within reach. I picked up the needle and finished stitching the square I was working on. Little crows in a field. Granny had taught me to embroider some fancy stitches and I had a idea picture that I was stitching.

For Christmas mama and granny had given me a quilt top they had pieced together from soft, cotton linens. Daddy had given me a quilting frame that was just right for working 9 squares at at time while I was sitting. I had decided to embroider the quilt top squares with trees, flowers and some wildlife with mountains in the background, that way her baby would have its very own quilt to grow up with. My sisters had given me a piece of cardboard with colored sewing string wrapped around it. It looked like every color from the rainbow and then some, was wrapped around it. Some were store bought and some were from old clothes they didn't use anymore, 'cause they didn't fit or were just worn out. The girls had even done some home dyeing on the plain cotton thread. Bobby had gotten me a new pack of needles and a right pretty thimble.

I was humming to myself while sewing, trying not to think about daddy and Bobby out in the snow. Lord knows, it was good to get them out of the house sometimes, but I surely did worry when they set off to trapping. Daddy told me not to worry so much or I would get them creases in my forehead.

After finishing 2 more squares, I got up to heat some water. It had been a long time since dinner last night and I couldn't even think about eating breakfast with Bobby this morning. My stomach stayed so upset anymore that Bobby had to do his own frying when he wanted some meat to eat. I put the kettle on and dug around in the pantry for some of my mint tea, it would settle an upset stomach and I thought I just might could handle a boiled egg and some toasty bread.

I was only listening with half an ear when I thought I heard a noise out in the snow. I took the kettle off cause it was boiling away and headed toward the front window. The snow was blowing so hard I could hardly see the road out front and the wind was howling so loud all I could hear was a roar. I stood at the window a bit and started to drop the curtain when a shadow caught my eye, was that someone standing out in the snow? They were stock still and not moving, I squinted my eyes and tried to make out what it was. I finally decided it was that old pine that stood at the end of the walking path from the house to the road. My eyes were playing tricks on me, I dropped the curtain and rubbed them with my fist. I headed back to the kitchen and put tea leaves in the little tea ball and dropped it over the side of a cup and poured boiling water over it, dipping it up and down to get the leaves really soaked good. I spread a spoon full of fresh cream butter on both sides of my bread and laid it in the skillet I had sitting on the stovetop. While keeping an eye on the bread, I dipped the egg out of the boiling water, cracked it on the side of the stove and peeled it quick. Then I grabbed the spatula and flipped the bread over to get it brown on both sides. The wheat bread I made 2 days ago was getting hard so I thought that I might make me and Bobby some sweet bread with cinnamon to eat tonight after supper. I scooped the bread out of the pan and put it in my bowl next to the boiled egg, picked up the cup of tea and headed back to the chair in front of the fireplace.

I just couldn't get it out of my mind, what had I had seen in the snow, was it that old tree or not. Maybe being pregnant made you act funny. Granny and momma both said they had seen some strange things pregnant women had done before they delivered their babies. I took another bite of my bread and decided to get up and look again. I carefully sat the plate and cup on the little table next to my Bible and got up. I walked over to the window and pulled back the curtain and looked in the direction I had seen the shadow, it was gone. I blinked my eyes again and stared hard through the blowing snow, it was gone. Hhmmm I thought to myself, what did I think I saw. I turned my head and glanced down the road toward daddy's place but all I could see was snow, snow and more snow.

I paced around the main room pondering, did I or did I not see something in the snow. It was worrisome all right, was I going crazy? I stopped my pacing and cocked an ear toward the door, what is that sound, I wondered. I walked back to the window, pulled the curtain back and didn't see a thing. I was losing my mind but would swear I heard a sound outside. Well that's it I thought, I'm going out to see what's out there. I grabbed my heavy shawl from the rack behind the door, laid it over my head and covered my face except for my eyes. I slipped my feet into Bobby's extra pair of boots sitting there and grabbed an old overcoat he used when he went out to feed. I knew when I opened that door snow would come piling in the main room and it would be a bear to get it shut behind me. I undid the lock at the top of the door, grabbed the handle and tried to ease the door open. It slammed back into me almost knocking me down. I took a cautious step out onto the little porch, or what used to be my porch, now it was a big old snowdrift. I couldn't tell where the porch ended and the yard started. I could see my rocking chair sitting there and grabbed onto it so I wouldn't slide down. As I shuffled my feet forward toward what I thought was the edge of the porch, I kicked something and it moved. What in the world, I thought. I bumped it again and then as I reached down to brush the snow away, I heard a weak crying sound.