The Pattern of Her Heart (5 page)

“I believe you’re talking about the verse where Jesus says that many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.”

“Yes, that’s it. I guess it has nothing to do with fishing, though,” Reggie said with a cheerful giggle. “I told my father you’re from Portsmouth and London and that we’re going to teach you how to fish. I thought I would never get out of the house, though; that’s why I’m surprised I’m the first one here. Another group of proper church ladies—that’s what my father calls them—came to visit. They keep coming to our house bringing cakes and pies and more cakes and more pies,” she said, waving her arms like an exasperated old woman.

It was impossible not to smile. The child was so expressive that she used her whole body to tell a story. “I would think you and your father would be pleased to have the pies and cakes,” Elinor said.

“Not
that
many—there are only two of us,” she said. “Oh, look! Here come Spencer and Moses. Come on, you two, before we’ve caught all the fish,” she called.

The boys rushed down the bank and plopped down alongside Reggie and Elinor, each one holding a fishing pole.

“You find us some worms or grubs?” Spencer asked.

“Nope, you go find your own. I got enough for me and Mrs. Brighton to get started.”

The boys appeared surprised when Elinor took a worm and threaded it onto her hook, but Reggie withheld any reaction.

“She sure doesn’t act like my mama.” Spencer whispered, staring at Elinor in awe. “She’d
never
put a worm on a hook.”

“You did a real fine job—now let me see you get a fish,” Reggie said, obviously not so easily impressed.

Elinor adjusted her straw bonnet, then tossed her line into the river. “I’ll do my best, but don’t go too far away. I may need your help.”

“I’ll do my best,” Reggie said, giggling as she repeated Elinor’s words.

Moses and Spencer rushed off to find some bait and were soon back and settled on the bank beside Reggie and Elinor, all of them determined to catch the first fish of the day. Had any passersby come upon them, Elinor was certain they would consider their little group quite a sight: Spencer in his crisp, clean clothing and his hair freshly combed; Moses in his neat yet less expensive breeches, his complexion nearly as white as Spencer’s; Elinor in her pale green day dress and straw bonnet. And then there was Reggie. Obviously, the girl was determined she’d rather dress and act the part of a boy, which was exactly the same way Elinor had felt at Reggie’s young age.

“You understand this isn’t the best time of day to fish,” Reggie said with the authority of an expert fisherman.

“Ever’one knows dat, Reggie,” Moses said, leaning forward to give her a disgusted look.

“Does not!” Reggie shouted

“Do too!” Spencer argued.

“Did
you
know it, Mrs. Brighton?” Reggie asked.

Elinor was unsure what to say, but she didn’t want the children’s arguing to continue. “I believe I may have heard something to that effect, but had you asked me when to schedule the best time to come fishing, I would certainly have been at a loss.”

Spencer and Reggie looked at each other, obviously unclear about who had gained Elinor’s agreement. Spencer shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to his fishing line. Her words had deflated their argument—at least for now.

“How come you and Moses were late?” Reggie asked as she wiggled to find a more comfortable position.

“My mama’s been
disturbed
ever since Alice Ann’s birthday party—at least that’s what my father calls it—disturbed.”

Reggie’s interest was piqued, and she once again changed her position in order to gain a better view of Spencer. “How come? I thought the party was very nice—except that I had to wear a dress. And I really liked Alice Ann’s pony. Were you jealous she got a pony, Spencer?”

“Naw. Besides, it’s not really hers yet. She has to prove she can take care of it, and I’m thinking she’ll lose interest in a few weeks. Alice Ann’s not like us—she doesn’t know what’s important and what’s not. She’ll be off playing with her dolly and forget about Winnie.
Winnie!
Did you ever hear such a silly name for a horse?”

“Winnie,” Moses mimicked in a girlish voice.

The two boys began giggling and didn’t stop until tears rolled down their cheeks.

Reggie waited until they quieted and then said quite demurely, “I think Winnie is a perfectly suitable name for a horse. It’s every bit as good a name as Larkspur. And you still haven’t told me why your mother is disturbed,” she added, suddenly sounding quite grown up.

Spencer peeked around Moses with a startled look etched upon his young face—almost as though he expected to see someone other than Reggie sitting on the riverbank. “She’s disturbed because she got a telegram from Grandpa Wainwright’s lawyer down in Mississippi. He’s coming to see Mama and Uncle McKinley. Papa says he should arrive later today or tomorrow. Mama thinks something bad has happened to Grandpa.”

Reggie’s eyes opened wide, and her eyebrows shot up like two miniature mountain peaks. “Like he’s
dead
or something?”

“Reggie!” Elinor cautioned.

Spencer’s head bobbed up and down in agreement. “Yep! That’s what she thinks and so does my uncle McKinley—but not me. Me and Poppa think Grandpa’s probably just sending the lawyer to take care of business for him.”

“You’re likely correct, Spencer,” Elinor hastened to agree, not wanting Reggie to question the boy any further. “What do you think about eating our picnic lunch since the fish don’t seem to be biting?” she suggested.

A chorus of agreement sounded and the children immediately jumped up and began to help. They spread the lunch of fried chicken, pickled beets, hard-boiled eggs, watermelon pickles, and thick slices of buttered bread on the checkered cotton cloth and then filled their plates, again and again and again—particularly Reggie, who couldn’t seem to eat enough to fill her stomach.

“And I thought I had packed enough food to last us several days,” Elinor told the children as she began repacking the basket. “There’s one last piece of chicken if anyone wants it,” she said while holding the drumstick between her fingers.

“I’ll take it,” Reggie said, quickly relieving Elinor of the crispy chicken leg and taking a bite. “This is gooood chicken,” she complimented, waving the drumstick like a fat wand.

“Thank you, Reggie.”

“Me and Moses can’t stay much longer,” Spencer said as he once again dipped his line into the water.

“How come? You were late and now you’re gonna leave early?”

“Don’t get all mad at us, Reggie. We don’t want to, but it was the only way I could even get permission to come at all. Mama wants us at home when that lawyer comes. She says she doesn’t want to be worrying about where I am when she has to be focused on other important matters.”

The response didn’t assuage Reggie’s irritation. “Didn’t you tell her you’d be at our usual fishing spot?”

“
Yes
. But it didn’t matter what I said. She told me I had to promise to be home early.”

Elinor patted Reggie’s arm. “It is obviously very important to Mrs. Houston that Spencer return home on time. We can stay for a while longer if you like, but I think Spencer and Moses should do as they’ve been instructed.”

“I know. I guess we might as well all leave,” Reggie replied dejectedly. “Want to walk me home?” she asked, her features beginning to brighten a bit.

“Of course. I’d be pleased to walk with you,” Elinor said.

A short time later, Elinor and Reggie bid the boys farewell and headed for the parsonage.

“Don’t forget to tell me what happens with the lawyer,” Reggie shouted to Spencer as he and Moses climbed the bank and walked toward the bridge.

“I will.”

Both boys waved, and Elinor noted the forlorn look on Reggie’s face as the boys sauntered out of sight. “Do you wish you had a brother or sister—someone to keep you company, like Spencer and Moses?”

“They aren’t brothers; they’re friends.”

“Yes, I know. But they live nearby one another, and they can be together almost as if they were brothers. I merely wondered if you would like that same companionship,” Elinor said.

“I guess I’d like a friend that lived close by—but not a brother or sister. That would mean having a baby around, and babies aren’t any fun. I want someone my own age.”

“I see. Well it appears you’ve made two good friends even if they don’t live in town where you can see them every day.”

“Uh-huh. But it’s not good to get too close to friends,” Reggie said as she skipped along beside Elinor.

“Why is that?”

“Because every time I make a friend, we move to another town, and then I have to start all over again. Boys are easier to make friends with, though. Girls act snooty, don’t you think?”

Elinor laughed. “Sometimes they do. But there are girls who are welcoming and kind too. Perhaps you’ve not tried as hard because you prefer doing the things boys like rather than girls’ activities.”

“Maybe. But you’d think more girls would like to fish and ride horses, wouldn’t you?”

“You’d think,” Elinor agreed. “I thought it was difficult growing up without having my mother around when I was a little girl.”

Reggie swung around to face Elinor and began walking backwards. “Did she die like my mama?”

“She died when I was born, so I never knew her.”

“Just like me,” Reggie said.

“But I had brothers and sisters. We remained in Portsmouth for a short time, but then my father located a position in London and we all moved there and our grandmother lived with us. She helped raise me,” Elinor explained.

“Father said my grandmother offered to take me too, but he said no. He wanted to keep me with him. That was good, don’t you think?”

“Absolutely! You’re a very fortunate girl to have a father willing to rear a little girl all by himself.”

“We’ve managed pretty well—except for the moving around. I don’t like that part, but Father says maybe we’ll be able to stay in Lowell until I’m all grown. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?”

“Indeed, it would. We’ll have to begin praying that God keeps your father as pastor at St. Paul’s for a very long time,” Elinor said as they approached the parsonage. “Thank you for the fine day, Reggie. I had a very nice time.”

“Please come in and see my room,” she pleaded while tugging on Elinor’s hand. “It’s in the attic, and I’ve found a secret hole in the floor.”

“Yes, do come in,” Justin Chamberlain offered as he stood up and stepped from behind a rose-covered trellis on the front porch. “I finally completed my sermon notes and came outdoors for a breath of fresh air.”

“I really must be getting back to the boardinghouse,” Elinor replied. She wasn’t sure why, but the pastor’s offer suddenly made her feel self-conscious.

“Pleeeease,” Reggie begged. “I do want you to see my room.”

“I’ll come in, but only long enough to see your room. Then I must be on my way.”

Justin reached for the picnic basket. “I doubt you’ll want to carry this upstairs for your grand tour.”

“Thank you,” Elinor said and followed along behind Reggie, viewing the large attic room where the side walls sloped at a severe angle, making the room somewhat difficult to navigate without bending over. “You may need to do a bit of furniture rearranging as you grow taller. If not, you’re apt to bump your head at night should you sit up too quickly,” Elinor said with a grin.

“Father said the very same thing. Come see my special trapdoor.”

Elinor viewed the opening that dropped into the kitchen pantry. “I wonder who made this opening. I bet there are lots of stories we could tell about why and who crawled down through that hole,” she said in a hushed voice.

Reggie’s delight was obvious. “It
is
exciting, isn’t it?”

“Yes. In fact, it almost makes me long to be a little girl again,” Elinor said as the two of them walked down the stairs.

“I didn’t notice you two carrying any fish,” Justin noted as they reached the bottom step.

“Actually, I did manage to hook one, but it was so tiny we let it go,” Elinor said. “The children tell me that mid-afternoon is not a good time of day for catching fish, so I felt fortunate I caught even the little one.”

“And she put her own worm on the hook and even took the fish off,” Reggie informed her father.

“It appears my daughter is impressed with your abilities even if you didn’t catch a lot of fish. And compliments from my daughter are not easy to come by,” he added.

“Then I’ll consider myself fortunate,” Elinor said.

“Please stay and have a piece of pie or cake with us,” Pastor Chamberlain offered.

Elinor glanced at Reggie, and the two of them giggled. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t laugh at your kind offer. However, Reggie confided that the good ladies of St. Paul’s brought several cakes and pies earlier today.”

He gave a firm nod. “Earlier today, later today, yesterday, and the day before that—and not merely the ladies from St. Paul’s, but from all around town. I have more cakes and pies than we can ever hope to eat. I’d need to purchase a new preaching suit if I ate all of those sweets,” he said with a grin. “I don’t think the ladies realize that man does not live by sweets alone. Come and see.”

Elinor’s eyes widened at the spectacle. All horizontal space in the kitchen and dining room, with the exception of Pastor Chamberlain’s writing desk, had been covered by every imaginable dessert. The sight took her breath away. “Oh my! This is astonishing. You must begin turning them away.”

“I have attempted to do so from the very beginning. None will take no for an answer. Even when they see the laden tables, they refuse to take their offerings home.”

“Perhaps Reggie should begin selling some of these delicacies,” Elinor teased.

Moments later Elinor left for home, completely unaware of the inspiration she had planted in a young girl’s heart.