The Scarlet Thread (8 page)

She left the room in bitter silence. She entered the bedroom,

not even bothering to turn on the light. Enough light filtered

through the window for her to see. Besides, the darkness fit her

mood better. She prepared for bed, then slipped between the

cool sheets. As she turned on her side, the journal, which she’d

laid on the bed stand, caught her eye. She reached for it, fingering the soft leather wistfully.

At least Mary Kathryn wouldn’t mind spending some time

with her.

Mama says livin in the wildurnes aint no resun

to bee ignurant.

Her papa wuz a larnud man and wud not want

fuls in his famlee. The preechur brung buks and

jurnals to rite in frum Ant Martha and now with

snow up to the windows, we got time. Papa sits

by the fire smokin and Mama reeds to us frum

her Bible.

Matt dont like to rite much. He draws wulfs

with big bludy dripin fangs that giv me nitmars.

He drew me a hair once. I stil got it hung up over

my bed. It iz nis. I wish he wud draw birds and

flouerz stead of wulfs. He only seen one wulf his

hol lif and it was ded. Magots wuz eting it.

Lucas does not draw nor rede nor rite. He says

Papa dont no how an he dont need to neether.

Papa tuk him to the wud shed fur sasing Mama,

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but he wernt no better wen he cum bak. So Papa

giv him the gun and told him to go huntin. He

wuz gon three daz. Mama wuz sure he got kilt by

injuns or a bar, but he cum bak dragin a dear on a

palot fixt up. Papa laft and gav him a cup of rum.

Mama was mad as a wet hornet, but she dont tel

Lucas to rede or rite no more.

Dearest Mary Kathryn,

Please practice spelling the following words and then

write an essay using them. I love you and have grand

hopes for you.

Mama

living journal life whole read choice

dead learned wolf/wolves come journal

back flower

If you want to be learned, you got no choice. You

got to read and write your whole life until you are

dead. You can not be a wolf or a flower who jest

enjoys living. You got to come back to the table

and werk in your journal until yer fingers is

crampt and aking.

just

cramped

your

are

work

aching

just

cramped

your

are

work

aching

just

cramped

your

are

work

aching

just

cramped

your

are

work

aching

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Stubbornness is unbecoming to a lady.

Stubbornness is unbecoming to a lady.

Stubbornness is unbecoming to a lady.

Stubbornness is unbecoming to a lady.

“Spring”

Spring is the time when snow melts and flowers

come up. Papa and Matthew plow them under

and I have got to go to the wuds to pik some. I

like to pik flowers in the wuds but Mama worrees

I mit get took by injuns. One come to the house

once askin fur food. Mama give him sum and I

aint seen him since. I gues he didnot think much

of her cookin.

Spring is also wen Matt turns the dirt in

Mama’s vechtable gardin. Every wurm he turns

up I put in a kan fur fishin. I like catchin fish but

I hate eatin em. Lucas told me he new a boy who

chokt to deth on a fish bone. Mama said he wuz

foolin me but I aint et fish since.

Papa says spring is a time for courtin. I askt

him wat courtin wuz and he said it is when a

yung mans blud comes up like sap in a tree. Wen

I askt him what he ment, Mama giv him her look

and he laft and wud not tell me. I askt Matt later

but he turned red and wud not say. Lucas said

courtin was wen Papa took the cow over to

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Graysons bull. Matt told him to shut his dirty

mouth and Lucas hit him in his and Papa come

runnin to stop them before they kilt each other.

I am more and more interested in what courtin is.

Spring is wen the preecher comes and stands

on a stump and screeems holy murder at us. He

yells about GAWD and SALVATION and the

BLOOD OF CHRIST. Peepull come from all

rownd to see him. He gits so wurkt up his face

turns red as fire. Frum up or down I aint sure

witch. Mama says he is zelus for the Lord. Papa

says he is plum crazy. But every tim he comes we

go and watch with every one else. He is the best

entertanmunt a rownd.

We always end up at the river with the preecher

washin peepul clean of sin and buryin them and

razing them up with Jesus. Mama says amen and

creyes every time someone gets dunkt and Papa

comes bak from the wuds smellin of whiskey and

tobako.

Mama and I plant corn and squash and turnups

and carots. Mama gave me a handful of seeds and

askt me what I saw and I said seeds. She askt if

they looked alive and I said they looked like

stones. She said that is rit but when we bury them

they will grow and bar frut. I said they will bar

squash. She said when you plant a seed, God will

soften it and water it and make it grow. She said

people are like that.

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him but nothing come up that I can see cepting

weeds. Lucas said worms ate him. So I reckon

that is why.

“The Well”

The well is very deep and very dark. It is cool

when you first go down but if you stay it is cold.

The walls are wet and slimy and you can hear

dripping. When you look up you can see a circle

of blue sky unless Lucas puts the cover over.

Then you dont see nothing. You just hear yourself screaming all around you. Lucas took the

cover off and called down that I was a bludy coward. I hollared back up I wasnt. He said prove it

and put the cover back. I sat in the bucket all day

so he’d know.

Matt found me when he tried to get a bucket of

water for Papa. He looked down and said what in

hades are you doing down there. Mama is going

crazy looking for you. Thinks injuns stole you. He

hollared he had found me and Mama come running thinking I wuz drowned. My backside had

no feeling and was stuck fast in the buckt. It hurt

bad when Papa popped me out. Lucas was leaning against the house laffing. I yelled I aint no

coward. No, you are a fool he said.

Papa took him to the wood shed and Mama

cried and took me in the house. She made me sit

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in the tub of hot water and drink whiskey. I dont

see what Papa likes about it. It burns all the way

down and then comes right back up.

Dearest Mary Kathryn,

Please practice these words on your slate until you are

ready for me to test you. Use ten in an essay. And do not

ask anyone else about courting.

I love you,

Mama

Go

witch/which

people

worry/worries

zealous

Indians

woods

garden

choked

liked

laughed

asked

death

pick

when

might

from

some/sum

wood/would

catching

running

washing

raising

cooking

God loves
zealous people
in the
woods.
He
might
love

some Indians.
Mama loves
washing, cooking,
and

raising
chikins.

Mary Kathryn McMurray,

You will have no supper until you write chickens

twenty-five times on your slate, and “A penitent heart is

a humble heart” fifty times.

Mama

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5

“ W H A T T I M E D O Y O U T H I N K Y O U ’ L L B E H O M E ? ”

Sierra said, trying to keep her voice neutral as she clutched the

telephone receiver.

“Five-thirty or six,” Alex said, sounding distracted. She could

hear him punching the keys of his computer.

Couldn’t he stop working long enough to talk to her for two

minutes? “What would you like for dinner?”

“Something light. I had a big lunch with Steve.”

“Where’d you go?” she said, wanting to draw out their conversation.

“La Serre. It’s a French place. Classy.”

“Expensive?”

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tab.”

Must be nice to have a fancy lunch and then ask for something

light
for dinner. She looked at the breakfast dishes in the sink.

She hadn’t even had lunch yet. She opened the refrigerator while

talking to him. Maybe she could open a can of peaches and finish

off the carton of cottage cheese sitting on the top shelf.

“We were celebrating.”

“What?” she asked, feeling left out.

“Vigilantes went into production today,” he said, clearly proud

of the game he had created. “Steve said they’ll be sending out

trial copies to game reviewers around the country by the middle

of next week.”

“What if they don’t like it?”

“They will. Look, honey, I’ve got to go. I’ve got a call coming

in, and I’m right in the middle of something important. We’ll talk

tonight.”

He hung up before she could utter a word. She held the silent

receiver and felt more bereft than when she’d called. Why had

she bothered? He was always busy and it was always important.

More important than she was, anyway.

Celebrating. He hadn’t even bothered to share the news with

her.
La Serre. Classy. Expensive.

Angry, she took a package of frozen hamburger from the

refrigerator freezer and tossed it on the counter. She’d fix

spaghetti
again.
It was easy, and the children loved it.

Turning on the television, she set the basket of clean laundry

in front of her. She had made a habit of doing the wash right after

she dropped the children off for school, and then saving the folding for now. At least then she could overcome her feelings of

guilt for watching a soap opera. She plunked down on the sofa

and began folding T-shirts, towels, and underwear while watching the episode unfolding before her. She used to scorn soap

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