Cedar Woman (118 page)

Read Cedar Woman Online

Authors: Debra Shiveley Welch

She
le
a
n
ed
ba
c
k
in
h
e
r
so
m
ewhat
u
n
co
m
fo
rt
ab
l
e,
wo
od
e
n
chair,
an
d c
on
te
m
p
lated
Ma
ud
e
’s
stiff
b
ack.
Still
affr
on
te
d
,
t
h
e
cat
c
on
tin
u
e
d
to
s
i
t in
t
h
e
m
i
dd
le
o
f
t
h
e
sto
v
e
in
sile
n
t
u
m
brage
at
Lena’s
audacity
in
us
i
n
g
her
c
h
air.
Ri
s
i
ng
q
u
i
ck
ly
,
s
h
e
wa
l
k
e
d
t
o
t
h
e
k
it
ch
e
n
s
in
k
.
P
l
aci
n
g
h
e
r
ind
e
x
fi
n
g
er
o
v
er
t
h
e
rim
of
her
glass,
she
p
ou
r
ed
out
t
h
e
gin,
retai
n
i
n
g t
h
e
o
li
v
e,
lem
o
n
t
wist
and
ice.
Refilli
n
g
h
er
g
lass with
water,
s
h
e ret
u
r
n
ed
to
h
e
r seat, all t
h
e w
h
ile ch
u
c
k
ling to
h
e
rself, and c
on
t
e
m
p
l
ati
n
g her abs
e
nt
hostess.
Jo-Ann
G
l
ov
e
r
was
a
n
e
ccentric,
this
was
clear.
She h
a
d
greet
e
d Lena
at
the
door
i
n
a
brown,
fuzzy gar
m
ent,
wh
ic
h
s
h
e
cal
l
ed
her

Fozzie Bear
Robe,”
after
the
l
o
v
e
able,
br
o
w
n
M
u
p
p
et
o
n
Sesame
Stree
t
.
C
o
m
p
leting
her
wa
rd
r
o
be
h
a
d
be
e
n
l
i
m
e
gree
n
,
fu
z
zy
slipp
e
rs,
a
nd
a
large, dia
m
ond ri
n
g
.
Jo
-A
nn
Gl
o
v
er
was
f
o
rty
y
e
a
r
s
o
l
d
a
n
d
s
i
n
g
le.
H
e
r
li
f
e,
h
o
w
e
ve
r
, was
no
t wit
h
out
e
x
cit
e
m
e
n
t.
B
o
rn
in
West Un
i
o
n,
Ohio,
she
h
a
d
tra
v
eled to Colu
m
bus at the tender age of eighte
e
n to “seek h
e
r fortune,” which c
o
nsisted
of
ta
k
ing
t
h
e
first
j
o
b
she
was
o
f
fered
with
an
Ohio
State U
n
i
v
ersity
affiliated
Op
h
t
h
a
lm
o
l
og
ist;
it
was
t
h
e
on
ly
j
o
b
s
h
e wo
u
ld
e
v
er ho
l
d.
H
e
r
yo
u
t
h
was
s
p
ent
i
n
ant
i
c
i
p
at
i
ng
h
e
r
tw
o
-
we
e
k
v
a
cat
i
on
s
l
o
ts
,
i
n

 

whi
c
h
she
wou
ld
bo
a
rd
a
pl
an
e
to
New
Y
o
rk
,
and
se
e
k
o
u
t su
nd
ry frie
n
ds and
a
c
qua
i
n
t
ances
w
it
h
w
h
om she
p
l
a
n
ned
s
o
m
ewhat
un
u
su
al adv
e
nt
u
r
es.
D
u
ri
n
g
t
h
e
e
n
s
u
i
n
g
y
ears,
L
e
na
wo
uld
s
p
end
m
any eveni
n
gs
in
t
h
at un
c
o
m
fortable w
o
od
e
n
cha
i
r,
p
rete
n
di
n
g
to
sip
t
h
e
p
u
ng
e
nt,
f
ra
g
r
an
t “
m
art
o
o
n
ies” Jo
-A
nn alwa
y
s
se
r
v
e
d
, c
o
n
t
e
m
plating
Ma
ud
e
’s
i
n
di
g
n
a
n
t
b
ack,
and
liste
n
ing
to
w
h
at s
h
e
w
ou
l
d
later
call
“J
o
-
Ann
Stories”:
m
adcap
a
d
ve
n
tures
w
h
ich
m
any
t
i
m
es
see
m
ed
as
if
t
h
ey
shou
l
d
h
a
ve been pla
y
ed out
in
so
m
e
crazy
sitcom on
tel
e
visio
n
.
Lena w
o
u
l
d re
m
e
m
b
er sto
r
ies
such
as
t
h
e
“Un
i
nh
i
bited
Isl
a
nd” in
whi
c
h
J
o
-
A
n
n w
o
uld e
x
plain t
h
at
she a
n
d a
fri
e
nd h
a
d
f
lo
w
n
to his p
r
i
v
ately o
w
ned isla
n
d
a
n
d
d
ec
i
d
ed
t
o
sk
i
nn
y
d
i
p
.
Once
in
t
h
e
water,
t
h
ey
h
eard
whistling and
cat-calli
ng
.
Turn
i
n
g
,
a
n
d look
i
ng
u
p
,
t
h
ey fo
u
nd
a
c
on
structi
o
n
cr
e
w cheer
i
n
g them
on.

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