42 Into the Frying Pan--

The autumn sunshine peeked through almost bare branches. Something of the place and the atmosphere reminded Eunice Henrey of a time long past. "What lovely table linens!" she examined the intricate lace pattern on the monogrammed napkin through her eyeglass. "Your table settings are so rare! She settled back in the comfortable parlor chair.

"Thank you. Jed's Grandmother and I worked on them together...it's a pattern handed down in his family." As she sat across from the stylish Mrs. Henrey, Agnes said a prayer of thankfulness. Her mother, Maureen Chadbrooke, had drilled etiquette into her five daughters until it was second nature.

"This has been a very pleasant day. Mr. Henrey is so happy when he can tour farms, yards, gardens, and orchards," Mrs. Henrey picked up her delicate tea cup and sipped the last of her tea. "You make excellent tea. It's a lost art in this country," she said with a wistful sigh.

"The tea service was my mother's--the china is from my father's family. Would you care for another cookie? A piece of cake?" Agnes offered and held the plate for her company.

"Well," the woman hesitated, "the tea biscuits are delicious. I am watching my figure, but...I believe I will, thank you."

"I'm sure you have nothing to worry about your figure, and that dress is a striking hue. It goes well with your coloring," Agnes said as she served the confections and poured tea for her guest. "You have such pretty hands!" Agnes took note of the soft hands with several jeweled rings, and manicured nails. "Help your self to the sugar and lemon--and there is cream if you would care for some?"

"Thank you, my dear. You are so kind," Eunice said as she spooned a healthy helping of sugar into her tea. "Delicious!" she said as she took a bite of cake. "Perfectly delicious!" she closed her eyes relishing the tangy lemon flavor.

"We have enjoyed your son's visit, he has acted the perfect guest, and Gene has enjoyed his company." Agnes stopped to take a bite of the sugared cookie. "From here where will you be off to?"

"Walter and Mr. Henrey like to go on fishing trips, and live out under the stars." she said with a nod. "They enjoy living in different circumstances...we didn't want to spoil Walter. Some people do that to their children. It isn't good for them. "Walter, you know is our adopted son," she took a sip of tea.

Agnes gasped, her eyes growing large. "I'm sorry," she covered her mouth with her napkin, "but it came as a surprise to me. No, Walter never mentioned anything..." she put her cookie down on her plate and took a sip of tea. "Gene is our adopted son. He was Jed's brother's son, but both of his parents passed away."

"That's what I understood. In our case the mother was found dead from -what was deemed- natural causes, but there was no name, nothing to identify her family, nothing. She was not a poor woman--there was a small fortune, and some fine jewelry that she left her two children. The judge awarded us the boy, but the other child was given to another family. My husband has taken care of the children's fortune for them."

"How sad they would split up the children! Do you know where the other child is? I suppose--"

"We have searched for any clue for the children's family for all of these years."

"And never found anything?"

"Not a thing. That is--nothing, until just a few months ago when we were at the world's fair in Paris. We were at an informal luncheon given by, Nellie, Lord Hughes' sister, one afternoon. Walter happened to wear the cuff links left to him in his mother's jewelry collection on that occasion. Count Bouchette became quite animated when Lord Hughes introduced us to him. My French isn't as respectable as my husband's, it was hard for me to follow exactly..."

"How very exciting! You had found a clue at last?"

"Not just a clue, but a perfect match. The young woman was Count Philip's sister. You see, the links had their family crest on them. They were unmistakable."

"I suppose now you will need to find the other child...and what does this mean to Walter? This has to be a bitter-sweet happening for you and your husband?"

Mrs. Henrey began to cry quietly. "Forgive me, but yes, bitter-- yet sweet. That is quite the description. I don't know what the future holds now," she blew her nose softly. "We had plans for Walter to take over certain aspects of our business...but now?" She dabbed at her eyes. "We have two other children," she hesitated then confided, "the one son lives in Europe. He has made his fortune, and has little time for anyone but his close friends. Our daughter lives in the United States. Not far from where we live, but she- she has taken religious vows. We haven't seen her for several years now."

"How very sad!" there was only air in Agnes' mind, words seemed to escape her.

The older woman held a locket toward Agnes, "Here. This is a picture of the children's mother..."

Agnes opened the locket and gasped, "Oh!" her hands trembled. "What a lovely, lovely woman! She looks so much like...!"

"Yes, she looks so much like an angel...it is as you've said, a bitter-sweet moment. At last the mystery has come to an end. The children can know who their mother was, and who their family is. For the two families that have loved and raised them, we now must part with them. I don't know how?" She shrugged her elegantly dressed shoulders, and dabbed at her eyes with a dainty pocket kerchief.

"Yes," Agnes said with a nostalgic sigh. "Yes, saying good bye comes to all of us who love. It is so much part of life, but it isn't ever easy. I'm sure that Walter will always honor you and your husband."

"Yes, we have been quite close to Walter. He has been an easy child to love and have around."

"Gene has also. How different our life was before...and I don't know what we would have done without him."

"I'm comfortable--here with you, Agnes," Mrs. Henrey reached her velvet soft hand toward Agnes and caressed her hand. "Some people wouldn't understand, but I feel welcome here. It's as if I've come home. I feel like you do understand."

"I do. First, we buried Gene's father, and a few weeks later we had to lay his mother to rest," Agnes covered her guest's soft hand with her own. "Gene was just a scrawny youngster. He reminded me of a stray kitten, all eyes, hungry, scared...we've come to love him as our own child..."

The two women sat absorbed with drinking their tea and thinking their private thoughts for a time.

"Many people I know are so busy trying to be what they aren't...you strike me as a jewel set in rough surroundings."

"Thank you. --Oh! I hear the men coming in--I had better replenish the tray...if you'll excuse me, I'll be right back."

"Why certainly! You just do what you need to do--" Mrs. Henrey settled back in her comfortable chair, perusing the room. It was a cozy, comfortable parlor that doubled as a library. There were several stuffed chairs scattered about the room, an ornate love seat in a deep rose color with mahogany finish, and matching end tables. The crackle of a small fire burning in the parlor stove--just enough to take the autumn chill out of the room--added a quaint charm.

Ever the curious person, always interested in the lives of others, the library of books stood in rows on the shelves beckoning to Eunice. The small portraits and nick knacks teased at her as well.

"Do you mind if I wander around your parlor, my dear?" She asked as Agnes came bustling back with another tray of goodies. "I have always loved books and reading, and there are so many inviting avenues here. And after all the sitting I have been doing today..."

"Oh, no. I don't mind at all," Agnes placed the tray on the table by the french windows. "I'll just replenish the hot water in the tea service, and all will be ready. If you would hostess the men as they come in I would appreciate it?" Agnes said at the sound of the pump at the sink working up and down, as well as water being poured from the hot tea kettle into the washbasin. The men's voices wafted in as they washed at the basin after the tour.

"Certainly, that will be no problem," the older woman rose, regally, walking slowly around the room.

The gay floral wall paper was a graceful background to several family portraits that were arranged on the wall.

"Your pictures are very interesting!" She glided back to help serve the tea as Jed and her husband came in and were seated.

"Thank you," Jed took his cup and chose several pastries from the plate.

"When you have the time, would you tell me about them?" Mrs. Henrey asked. "I enjoy genealogy, and family history. It's a hobby of mine," she explained with a smile.

"If you are interested--" Jed left his cup and tea cakes..."this is my Grandmother and Grandfather, Ruth and Joseph Wade," he pointed to a picture of a young bride in a high necked lace gown, her dark hair pulled back into a bun at the nape of her neck, covered with a lace cap, and a few tendrils at the sides of her childlike face. At her side stood a much taller handsome man in his dark suit and tie.

"She looks so young! And he is very good looking!"

"She was seventeen--but many girls were married at sixteen...Grandfather was twenty-five. This picture," he pointed to one on the right side of the first picture, "is Agnes' mother and father."

"How elegant they are!" Mrs. Henrey scrutinized each picture with her eyeglass. "She looks just like a Gibson girl--what a lavish gown...and how dashing her husband is!"

"This is my father and mother," he continued.

"Oh, how dainty your mother is!" She said generously, looking minutely at the rather plain woman in the picture.

"After my Grandfather passed away, father became the head of the family. He took care of his mother and two brothers. He was thirty years old before he felt free to marry."

"That is as it should be."

"These last two frames, one is of my brothers and I, and this one is of Agnes and her sisters."

"Very nice, very nice!" Mrs. Henrey exclaimed. "And who is in this small portrait over here?" she moved to a few small portraits in frames in front of the shelves of books.

"My mother passed away leaving father with us small boys. He remarried--this is he and our step-mother...then this is we boys and our step-sister."

"Did I over hear Lord Hughes telling Gene that his Aunt...would that be your step-sister? was visiting the Queen this summer?"

"Yes, that was my step-sister, Bertha Louise. Ever since my step-sister's wedding my step-mother has wanted Agnes and I to come back for a visit. We've been so busy, but Gene is going to take care of things for us for two weeks after the fall work is done."

"That will be so nice."

"Now, Eunice...Mr. Wade's tea will be completely cold. You must let him come back and finish!" Mr. Henrey winked at Agnes as she and Nissa joined the company.

"I didn't mean to keep you so long," Eunice apologized to Jed. "Mr. Henrey, we haven't left you--he's just lonely," she whispered to Jed. "And there are the boys coming back from their saying goodbye--" she glanced out the windows just in time to see the boys jogging their horses down the drive toward the barns.

"What fine animals!" Mr. Henrey jumped up, his cane tapping across the floor to the window. "I say, those are fine looking animals...if we weren't so comfortable in here I'd have to go examine those horses. There's nothing quite like a well made horse!"

"Too bad you don't have time to go look over Mr. Goodnite's horses. Gene's been helping train our neighbor's horses. They sell pretty quick, I can tell you."

"No time for a side visit-- Walter, Eunice, and I are on our way back to the east coast. We'll be there for awhile. The Count will come to make arrangements.

The older man stood quiet, looking out the window, but not seeing the scenery before him. He had grown so close to this boy. It was going to be difficult to say good bye. "No, Walter isn't with us always," he spoke out loud forgetting where he was.

"What he means," Eunice explained self consciously, "is that Walter comes and goes. He's old enough to be his own person, but our home has always been his home, and," her words trailed off.

"We understand," Agnes said in her gentle voice. "It will be hard."

"Our other children are older, and have gone their ways. We've grown accustomed to Walter being there."

"It is good to have someone to depend on," Jed's thoughts were jumbled. He heard the boys come on to the back porch, heard the cistern pump and water gushing into the wash basin as Gene poured hot water in from the kettle. He heard their voices muffled by the distance. Jed could imagine them combing their hair at the mirror, and now their footsteps echoed slightly as they approached the parlor.

"Hello, Father," Walter stopped and greeted his father, then going to his mother gave her a kiss on the cheek, "Hello, Mother," he said with a fond smile.

Only Jed and Agnes could guess at the self-control it must have required for the two older people to carry on as if this were just another day...Just another day.

"Help yourselves to the trays, boys...and there is tea," Jed waved his hand at the table full of food.

"You have out done yourself, Aunt!" Gene flashed Agnes a heart warming grin.

"Mother, I don't know how this woman does it, but she is the best cook--and baker!" Walter praised. "Just look at those sandwiches, and the pastries!" Walter heaped his plate with an assortment of food that underscored his words.

"We wait until you boys are starved--after the outside fresh air, and exercise as well. Grandmother Wade always said, 'Hunger makes a good sauce,' Agnes said with a smile.

"When I went to my first birthday party," Walter began a story, "I was told to--well, you see I have always been what mother calls a 'hearty' eater. So, as I said, when I went to my first birthday party..." For the next hour Walter kept the company laughing as he told stories.

"Father, there is a little red and black airplane, we've been working on," Agnes cringed as he began the story about the airplane.

What would Mr. and Mrs. Henrey think? Their shocked expressions hovered in Agnes' mind like spectors as she imagined their reaction.

"Excuse me a moment," she made an escape to the kitchen. She stood breathless, waiting for their reaction. Straining her ears,

"Walter!" she heard Eunice say.

"Hanging over nothing, I just felt committed."

She heard as she tip-toed back to the room.

"Well, I should say so!" Mr. Henrey exclaimed.

Their faces did not look angry...

"The next thing I knew, someone or something seemed to heave me into the seat...but I was kind of upside down and sideways--"

"Of course, those of us still on the ground..." Gene put his part in the story.

"I thought Albert was going to kiss the barn floor when he got out of the plane!
And you should have seen the automobile driver's face! Go ahead, Walter..."

"That is too funny! Walter, you need to be more careful!" Eunice said wiping the laughter tears off her face. "Are you teasing me that you ended up with tree leaves in your wheels?"

"No, I'm not teasing...but better in the wheels than in the prop! And the Stroll's cows refused to go out of the barn for a week."

"Remember the fellow that Walter had a fight with?"

"Yes, I remember it," Mr. Henrey nodded. "You remembered your instructor's teaching very well, Walter."

"That guy was the fellow that caused poor Albert to get left in the dust by his horse last summer...and he was the fellow in the automobile," Gene said.

"Father, you will not believe this, but Albert's father tried to get a judgement against this guy--Albert had a broken rib from the horse incident."

"Now, why wouldn't I believe that? If he caused an accident..."

"Well, this boy passed out from fright when we skimmed over his head, ran off the road and hit a tree..."

"Served him right!" Mr. Henrey tapped his walking stick on the floor emphatically.

"We flew around-- got landed, Mr. Pickerell and the boys pushed the plane back into the barn where it was stored. --when Mr. Pickerell went down to check on the automobile...this fellow was just coming to. He told the sheriff when he got back to town he was almost run over by an airplane! The sheriff arrested him for public intoxication! His father finally took the automobile away from him, and his allowance was cut! We haven't seen hide nor fender of him since."

"That's it! That's it! He got his comeuppance! For sure..." Mr. Henrey laughed heartily. "Good, that's good!"

***************************

"What a good visit! I'm so glad they came," Agnes said as she the Henrey's automobile glided silently down the lane through the lengthening shadows.

"Yes, what an interesting life they have. They travel quite often now. Mr. Henrey was employed by the government before retiring," Jed put his arm around Agnes.

"Nissa, come help brother clean up," Gene smiled down at the little girl, and took her hand. "You can take this empty plate for me, okay?"

"Nissa hep..." with measured steps she carried the lone plate to the kitchen while Gene followed behind bringing a tray of cake and cookies.

Jed smiled at Agnes, "I guess we'd better be at the work also."

"I guess so!" Agnes smiled her answer.

"It's almost chore time," Gene put the last plate on the counter, "I guess I'll go on out and get started."

"Nissa come?" her little round face pleaded.

"I don't know..." Gene looked down his nose, and gave her a one-eyed look, "better ask first."

Her little feet tapped across the kitchen floor. She tugged on Jed's overall leg, "Nissa go?"

"I suppose so. You keep an eye on her though-" he cautioned Gene.

"She's pretty good. Nissa will sit on the feed barrels for me won't she?" Gene smiled down at her. Her pigtails waggled as she shook her head yes. "Let's go get your jacket and boots on then..."

Nissa chattered to Gene in her nonsense, no nonsense way as she stumped along beside him to the back porch, and all the time as they wrestled into their outside clothes.

"Would you like a cup of coffee?" Agnes asked as she headed for the coffee pot.

"Sure, pour me a cup, before I head out," he sat at the table. "Thank you," he accepted the mug. "So much happening all of a sudden," he blew on the hot coffee.

Agnes sighed and brought her cup around to sit down.

"Why the long face all of a sudden?" Jed asked.

"So many things are changing. So many changes that..." her brow creased and a her face wore a frown.

"Many things don't make sense?"

"Yes, I think that's it. Things were--simple. Now decisions are difficult. I feel like even simple choices carry consequences. Consequences that I don't understand...maybe even consequences I don't want."

"I thought maybe I should tell you," Jed blew on his coffee again, but this time it wasn't from necessity, "David is thinking of moving back to his family home."

"What! It can't be! David wouldn't take Bessie away from her friends--her family? And this has been David's home for the last five years! Many more thoughts whirled through her mind that did not make it to her tongue.

"Whoa! I didn't mean to drop the shoe too sudden."

"Eggs are in," Gene called as he opened the back porch door and set a bucket down.

"I'll be out shortly. After I finish my coffee here," Jed called in answer.

"Alright," Gene said as he closed the door.

"Well, I could see it coming, I guess, to be right honest," Jed put his cup on his knee waiting for it to cool.

"How's that?" Agnes said still dumbfounded. "I don't understand--why?"

"David can earn a better living. There's not enough here for him--but there's more than that--" Jed weighed his words.

"More than making a better living?"

"Well, Agnes, he's working as a preacher. You know that's a work of love, because he doesn't make much there. Especially for the knowledge he's got. Ever since back in '34, he's had big name congregations trying to entice him away. He works as a lawyer on occasion, and that pays better than anything."

"What about teaching? He's such a good teacher. What will the school do with out him?"

"All that is true, but schools are changing Agnes."

"Life is changing, Jed. Look around us. I'm frightened sometimes at the way things are moving, but what is it you are saying?"

"I'm saying that David teaches in the old style. The way it was in the old days, but new methods are coming along. He doesn't agree with the new methods."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. He says he's uncomfortable with them." Jed took a sip of coffee.
"He says that all children are made in the image of God. All children deserve a chance in life."

"So if he leaves, where does that leave our school? Who will do a better job of teaching than David? What does the school board think of his leaving?"

"Hey, hey!" he held up a hand, "Too many questions...I don't know, and I don't know...I don't know that he's made it official yet for one thing, and he hasn't set a time line on it either."

"But he's past the just thinking stage?"

"Yes."

"Oh, I will miss Bessie so!" Agnes said sorrow in her features as well as her voice.

"As you say, things are changing. I have thought on what you said the other evening. I know it's true. We can't hold Gene here. He's so intelligent--look how much he's done and learned! I feel it. Do you think he'll come back?"

"If he's smart he will."