He didn’t expect an answer from the teller, who sent nervous glances toward his boss, and he didn’t get one. When the money was laid out, Evan counted it and put the bills in his pocket. Seeing that he was not going to be given a bag for the silver, he spread his handkerchief on the counter, piled the silver dollars on it and tied the four corners.

“It was a pleasure doing business with you,” he said, scooping up the silver and heading for the door.

At the other bank he deposited the bills in the account he already had and left still carrying the silver dollars. On the way back to the farm, Evan recalled the words of his shrewd old grandfather, who had made a fortune in the lumber business:

Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, son. Find a hiding place and keep your silver. It will always be good. One day these damn banks are going to go bust and you’ll have something to fall back on.

Evan was slightly ashamed of being so happy after he had just buried Walter. As he drove into the Joneses’ farmyard to tell them the news that Otto Bloom had been charged with the killing, his head was filled with plans to modernize his farmhouse before he brought his bride home.

Chapter 28

T
HE NEXT FEW DAYS WERE THE HAPPIEST
Julie had ever known.

Evan came over every evening. The family accepted him as one of them. He helped Jason get the cockleburs out of Sidney’s thick fur and Jill with her history lesson. Joy climbed into his lap at every opportunity, and he played catch with Jack when Jack had exhausted his older brother.

Jethro and Evan sat at the kitchen table and made plans for sharing the work on the two farms, and Jethro advised about crops, hogs and cattle.

The best time of all was when Julie could steal away with Evan for a few minutes alone.

“I want you to come over to the farm,” Evan said one evening, “but not until I clean it up a bit. The kitchen was Walter’s domain and isn’t fit for you to see right now.”

“I could help you clean it.”

“No, honey. When you see your future home, I want it to be clean, at least. You can fix it up any way you want to after we are married.”

One night Evan brought his Victrola and set it up in the parlor. The room was small and only one couple could dance at a time, but everyone had a turn, even Joy and Jason. Jill danced with her two older brothers, her father and Evan. Joe waltzed with Julie. When they grew tired of dancing, they listened to opera music sung by Enrico Caruso, and Evan told them about seeing the famous husband-and-wife dance team of Vernon and Irene Castle.

“Do they still dance?” Jill asked.

“No. Vernon was killed in 1918 while training cadets to pilot planes during the war. A year later, Irene wrote a book,
My Husband.
I have a copy if you’d like to read it.”

“I would. Do you have a book about Lillian Russell or Nellie Bly?”

“No. Someday you can come over and see what I have.”

Later, when they were alone, Julie explained to Evan Jill’s fascination with the two women.

“She likes to read and learn about people. I think she would make a fine teacher.”

Saturday came, and everyone was excited about the game. The morning was cool, cloudy, with the promise of rain. Jack stewed and worried and watched the sky. By noon the weather had cleared. Julie fixed a good midday meal, but Jack didn’t eat much.

“Ah, Sis,” he argued, “my stomach is so fluttery, I’m afraid I’ll throw up.”

“I don’t want you suddenly to get weak during the game. I’ll take a few slices of buttered bread wrapped in a cloth, and if you feel weak during the game, I’ll have Joe slip them to you.”

Jethro had taken Jack to town that morning to get a haircut and to pick up his team shirt at Carwilde and Graham’s store. The game didn’t start until four o’clock, but by two o’clock Jack was anxious to go.

“Try and get a good parking place, Papa. Evan is coming for us at three, and by the time we get there, the good places might be gone.”

Half the town was already at the ball field when Evan drove in and parked the car behind Jethro’s. Jethro had found a place directly behind home plate. Jill jumped out, went in search of her friend Ruby May and found her talking to Joe and Thad Taylor. Joy spotted her friend Sylvia, and the two little girls sat down on the blanket beside Sylvia’s mother. Julie and Evan got into the car with Jethro.

The teams were warming up on the field. The league team had full uniforms: white with red stripes. Fertile’s team shirts were white with black stripes. The family was watching Jack as if he were the only player on the field. He stopped playing catch with Dr. Forbes when a player from the other team came up and shook hands with the doctor. Obviously glad to see each other, the two men acted like long-lost friends.

The game started with the visitors at bat. They scored two runs before Ron Poole gave up the pitching mound for first base and Wesley Philpot, a farm boy from south of town, came in to pitch. He struck out the next batter, and the crowd cheered.

When it was Fertile’s chance at bat, the first two batters struck out. Jack came to bat and Julie held on tightly to Evan’s hand. Jack failed to swing at the first pitch and a strike was called. He swung and connected with the second pitch. The ball sailed out into left field and he made it to second base. The crowd cheered, and those sitting in cars honked their horns. The next batter hit an easy ball to the pitcher, who threw him out at first base, so Jack didn’t have a chance to score.

The town team didn’t score a run until the fourth inning. Jack again hit a two-bagger, which brought in the man on third. But the inning ended without Jack being able to score.

“He didn’t eat much dinner,” Julie said worriedly. “I brought buttered bread. Do you think I should have Joe take it to him?”

“No, honey.” Evan grinned over her head at Jethro. “He would be embarrassed to eat in front of the other players. He’s doing all right. He just needs some help from his teammates in the hitting department.”

The last half of the ninth inning started with the score six to one. A line drive put a Fertile man on first. The pitcher walked the second man at bat, then it was Jack’s turn.

Julie could hear Jill yelling at her brother to hit a homer. She was still with Ruby May, Joe and Thad.

“Hit a homer, Jack. You can do it!”

Jack fouled the first two pitches. On the third pitch, the bat connected with the ball with a loud
crack!
The ball sailed out over the head of the left fielder, who had moved back when Jack came to bat. The ball went on and on, far across the boundary and into homerun territory.

The noise made by the happy crowd could have been heard for miles. Every car at the field that had a horn was honking, men and boys yelled and slapped one another on the back. Jack trotted around the bases, being congratulated by members of the other team. Not one of them had hit a ball so far.

In the car, seated between her father and Evan, Julie held her hands to her cheeks and fought back the tears that came to her eyes when she saw her brother coming around third base with a wonderful smile on his face. She knew how much this meant to him. Evan and Jethro got out of the car to go to the fence, the better to see Jack’s teammates pound him on the back and congratulate him.

Jill was beside herself with excitement. She threw her arms first around Joe and then around Thad.

“I knew he could do it. I told you he could,” she exclaimed excitedly, unaware that a pair of interested eyes watched her from a dozen yards away and narrowed when Thad Taylor hugged her and lifted her off her feet.

The game ended with a score of six to four. Although the town team hadn’t won, it was Jack’s day. Dr. Forbes introduced him to his friend from Tennessee, who was the pitcher for the other team.

Dude Merfield, a well-muscled man with long arms and legs, had grown up in the hill country above the town of Harpersville, Tennessee, Dr. Forbes’s hometown. They had known each other since they were ten years old, when Dr. Forbes’s sister, Jesse, married Wade Simmer, a hill man. The boys had played together every summer until Todd Forbes went off to school.

When the game was over, Dr. Forbes brought Dude over to meet the Jones family. Jack came along. He couldn’t keep the grin off his face and didn’t object when Jill threw her arms around him and kissed him.

“We would have skunked you, if not for your boy,” Dude said to a proud, grinning Jethro.

“He’s worked hard and he loves the game.” Jethro put his hand on Jack’s shoulder. “You did good, son.”

“Did you hear me yellin’, Jack?” Jill asked.

“You didn’t need the bread and butter,” Julie said with proud tears in her eyes.

“You can be sure that I’ll be careful what I throw him tomorrow,” Dude said.

Ron Poole brushed Jill aside to get to Jack. “I can pick ’em, can’t I, Doc? I knew he had the right stuff.”

Corbin Appleby came to congratulate Jack, as did the Humphreys, the Taylors and people he didn’t even know.

Eudora Meadows came up to the group. “Brother had to go out on a sick call, and I didn’t get here until just a little while ago. But I saw Jack hit the home run. Oh, my, I don’t know when I’ve been so excited.”

“We could have come by for you, Eudora,” Julie said.

“I didn’t expect Brother to be called out.”

“We’ll see you home. But first could you come out to the farm for a while? I promised Jack I would make fudge and Evan’s going by the store to bring home soda pop. We’re celebrating.”

Jill wormed her way through the men gathered around Jack to reach Eudora.

“Miss Meadows, please come. Please, please,” Jill begged, her arms around Eudora. “Evan brought over his Victrola.”

Eudora laughed and returned Jill’s hug“

I’d love to,” she said to Julie, “if you’re sure I won’t be intruding on your family celebration.”

“Not at all. We’ll be so glad to have you.”

“Honey.” Evan came up behind Julie and put his lips close to her ear. “We’d better forget about the fudge and the soda pop. Jack asked Jethro if he could invite the Jacobses and the Taylors to come out. It could be that Doc Forbes and his friend Dude will come.”

“Oh, my goodness. I wish I’d baked a cake or something.”

“I’ll go by the drugstore and see if he’ll sell me a couple gallons of ice cream. Go on home with Jethro and get things ready. I’ll come later with the boys.”

Julie turned so she could look at him. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. But … isn’t that much ice cream awfully expensive?”

“Am I going to be the head of our family, or not?” His voice was stern, his eyes loving.

“Part of the time,” she replied sassily, then added, “when I agree with you.”

* * *

The house seemed to be alive with people laughing and talking. Jethro came to the kitchen, where Eudora and Julie were dishing up ice cream, and said that the Jacobses had to go home to do chores, but Ruby May would stay and spend the night with Jill.

“Where’s that fudge you were going to make, Sis?” he teased. “I’d rather have fudge than ice cream.”

“You’d better watch out, Papa, or I’ll rename you Elsie.” The words just slipped out and she looked at him with alarm.

He didn’t seem to hear what she’d said. He put his finger in the container and scraped ice cream off the side. Julie attempted to hit his hand with her spoon.

“That’s not nice.”

“She’s hard to get along with at times, Miss Meadows. As soon as Evan gets out of her sight, she gets cranky.”

Call me Eudora, Mr. Jones.”

“All right, Eudora. Call me Jethro, and you’ve got a speck of ice cream on your nose.” He left the kitchen chuckling when she put the back of her hand to her nose.

The men and boys, lined up along the edge of the porch, ate ice cream out of bowls and teacups. Julie and Eudora sat on the bench with Myrtle Taylor and watched Joy and Sylvia on the floor beside them.

Julie’s eyes went often to Evan. He smiled and talked and laughed as if he were having the time of his life. Jason was always near him, even now, as Evan talked to Dr. Forbes and his friend Dude Merfield.