Abigail’s Secret
Montrew Dunham
ILLUSTRATED BY CATHY MORRISON
Smashwords ebook edition published by Fideli Publishing Inc.
Copyright 2011, Montrew Dunham
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ISBN: 978-1-60414-498-7
CHAPTER ONE
All of the family remained seated around the dining room table even though dinner was over. Father, at the head of the table, looked very serious. There was no hint of a twinkle in his brown eyes, and his mouth was stern.
Eleven-year-old Abigail looked around at each one of the family. At the other end of the table, Mother sat straight and tall. Her deep blue eyes were clear and bright, but her mouth was drawn firm without a trace of her usual smile. Aunt Hester, Uncle George and Cousin Gloria sat in a tight row together on one side of the table. Gram sat to Father’s right on the other side of the table, and then Abigail, her sister Caroline and her brother Robert.
It was an unusual Friday evening. Usually dinner on Friday evenings was lively, with story telling and laughter. Gram often told stories of the olden days and Father would laugh when she told about him when he was a little boy. Mother would ask Caroline about school, and Robert would talk about the basketball games and who was winning. Uncle George would tell about the people he had talked with when he was looking for a job, and Aunt Hester would tell how she was going to decorate their house when they moved. Sometimes it seemed everyone would talk at once. But they all listened and they all laughed together at each other and at themselves. Tonight there was no laughter.
Almost all week had been unusual. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was inaugurated as President of the United States just last Saturday on March 4, 1933, which had seemed so very special. And then the next day he proclaimed that all the banks in the country were to be closed. A bank holiday!
Abigail frowned as she thought about it. ... A holiday had a good sound ... but for them there was nothing good about this holiday. It meant that they had no money!
Everyone sat in silence for such a long time that it seemed like an eternity, but no one moved to leave the table.
Finally, it was Mother who broke the silence. We have spent the week worrying about money. We know that somehow we will work things out. I don’t know quite how ... but together, we will manage.
We don’t have money to buy groceries, to pay the milkman, or the gas bill. The electric bill is overdue and we are apt to lose the house if we can’t pay at least the interest on the mortgage payment,” Father said grimly. He shook his head. “I should have put some money aside. I should have made some arrangements!”
“What money ... what arrangements!” Mother exclaimed. “We have needed every cent we had!”
“I should have taken some money out of the bank and kept it at home,” Father said.
“Samuel! How could you have known that President Roosevelt would close the banks!” Gram interrupted. “I knew I made a mistake when I voted for that man!”
Uncle George shook his head, “Samuel, you have supported us all. I feel terrible that I haven’t been able to help.”
Aunt Hester turned to Uncle George and said in a tight voice, “You couldn’t help losing your job in this awful depression. Where will it all end?”
“We need to look at what we have,” Mother said in a no-nonsense tone. “We have a comfortable house with enough coal in the coal cellar to keep us warm all winter.”
“If the winter doesn’t last too long! Father interrupted.
Mother lifted her chin a little higher, ”And we have plenty of food canned from the garden.”
“Such as it is,” Caroline said under her breath.
Mother’s blue eyes were bright and cold as she looked directly at Caroline. “Caroline, Please clear the table.” And then she turned to Abigail, ”and you help your sister.”
Abigail looked at Gloria who smiled her sickening sweet smile at Abigail and didn’t move. Gloria’s mother never told her to do anything ... and she never did. Do anything!
Abigail’s heart was pounding. She didn’t know when to share her secret. She put her napkin on the table and quickly slipped the package from under it and put it on her chair behind her as she got up. Gram glanced at her quickly and Abby knew that Gram had seen. Abigail didn’t know what to do next, so she just got up and started to take the dishes from the table.
Caroline took a tray from the sideboard and began to stack the dirty dishes on it to carry to the kitchen. Abigail took what she could carry and placed them on the kitchen sink. Caroline came right behind her with her fully loaded tray. “How dumb! Why didn’t you get a tray and bring a full load, instead of making a dozen trips?” Caroline was eighteen, going to college at Madame Blaker’s Teachers College, and she thought she was so smart ... like she knew everything!
Abigail felt a little s mug. Just wait until Caroline found out that she didn’t know everything!
As she went back to get more dishes though, she did get a tray and Caroline said, “That’s more like it.”
Abigail couldn’t help it. She stuck her tongue out at her sister behind her back. Her mother saw her and frowned.
Caroline was the oldest ... and the smartest ... and the prettiest. She had that curly black hair, which always looked just right ... and her eyes were so blue. And when she smiled, which wasn’t often, she had dimples. It just wasn’t fair! Abigail had straight brown hair, and though she smiled a lot, no dimples. Robert and Abigail looked more alike, though he was fourteen and so big, almost as tall as his father.
Even though the table was cleared, no one had yet started to leave. Abigail slipped back into her chair, and carefully put her package on her lap.
Gram cleared her throat as she took an envelope from her lap and laid it on the table. “Samuel, this isn’t much but I would like you to take this money from my sugar bowl to help out.”
Father said in a sad voice, “Oh, Mother, I can’t take that ... ”
“Nonsense! We are a family and we all work together to meet our problems,” Gram said quickly.
Everyone knew that Gram saved what little money she could and put it in her sugar bowl for minor emergencies.
And this was no minor emergency! Abigail’s father had not lost his job, but almost everyone else had. Uncle George had lost his job, and could not find another, and when they ran out of money Uncle George, Aunt Hester and Gloria had come to live with them.
Abigail’s friend Mary Margaret’s father had lost his job too and Mary Margaret’s sister Cecilia and her husband had moved back home to help pay the bills.
Samuel Graham was an insurance agent, and though he still had his job, he earned very little because people could not afford to pay for insurance.
Abigail took a deep breath. It was now time. She took the package from her lap and placed it on the table before her. Conversation stopped and everyone looked at her. Carefully she unwrapped the package to reveal a small stack of crumpled dollar bills, and she shoved the stack to her father as she said, “This is to help.” She looked at her father and then her mother for approval.
“What is this?” Her father looked at the package and then at Abigail as if he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.
Mother leaned forward to look squarely at Abigail as she asked sharply, “Where did you get this money?”
“How much is there?” Robert asked.
Father leafed through the money hastily. “There are twenty dollars! Abigail, where did you get this money?
“Abigail was taken back. She had known it would be difficult to explain but she had expected that they would be so glad to get the money! She asked, “Aren’t you glad to have it? Won’t it help with the bills we have to pay?”
“Of course, it would help,” Father answered, “and we do appreciate having it. But not if I don’t know where you got this money, Abigail!”
Abigail swallowed. Her throat felt so dry. This was the hardest part of the secret. She answered half under her breath, “I can’t tell.”
Father leaned toward her, “I can’t hear what you said, speak up!”
“I can’t tell!
“What do you mean, you can’t tell! What are you saying, Abigail!” her father demanded.
All eyes were upon Abigail, and it seemed like everyone was shouting at her at once. Gram frowned a little and she looked at Abigail in a puzzled way, as Robert asked, “Did you find it?” and Aunt Hester said, “You didn’t have twenty dollars, did you? And then Aunt Hester asked Abby’s mother, “Did she have any money of her own?” And Caroline answered, “Of course, she doesn’t have money like that!”
The more everyone pressed her to tell the more she shouted, “I can’t tell! I promised! I can’t! I can’t!
And then Gloria tossed her blond curls, and with great importance interrupted, “I saw her talking to Uncle Mike. I bet he knows!
Everyone grew silent and Abigail felt like she was in a spotlight with everyone staring at her. She shouted at Gloria, “He’s not your Uncle Mike!”
Gloria shrugged her shoulders and said, “He most certainly is not!
Father glared at Abigail, as he exclaimed, “Mike! When did you see Uncle Mike? Abigail, go to your room!’
Abigail could not believe her ears. This had not turned out the way she expected at all! She had thought everyone would be so grateful ... that she had saved the day ... and now ...
“Go to your room!”
Abigail felt hot tears coming to her eyes and a big lump in her throat. As she pushed back from the table, she heard Aunt Hester say, “Where would Mike get any money? He must have stolen it!
Abigail whirled around as she left the room and shouted through her sobs, “He did not!”
CHAPTER TWO
Abigail ran up the stairs to her bedroom, slammed the door and fell onto her bed. She couldn’t help crying! Everybody hated her and she had just been trying to help! She thought that Mother and Daddy would be so relieved to have the money ... and they would appreciate her so much! And now they were just mad at her! It didn’t seem fair! She felt so sorry for herself!
Everything in their family had changed so much. It wasn’t even her own room anymore. She had to share with Glor-I-a, who was such a pain. It used to be that it was just Mother and Daddy and Caroline and Robert ... and, of course, Gram. And that was just right ... well, and it was ok when Uncle Mike had come to live with them.
Abigail turned over and dried her eyes. It really was kind of fun when Uncle Mike had come. And then at Thanksgiving time Uncle George, Aunt Hester and Glor-I-ia had moved in and that wasn’t fun at all.
It had been the beginning of the change in everything when Uncle Mike had come to stay, though that was really kind of neat.
And then when Mr. and Mrs. Allen, their neighbors across the street, moved from their house even the neighborhood had changed. Abby turned on her bed and looked out the window. Even with the leaden gray skies, she could see the outline of the dark, empty house across the street. And she had a terrible knot in the pit of her stomach as she thought about the terrible things, which had gone on in that house.
Abby’s smooth brown hair was mussed and tangled from crying into her pillow and her eyes, usually a clear blue, were dulled to a gray blue from her tears. She roused a bit as she heard the noise of her bedroom door opening. She rolled over to see who was coming in. At first there was nothing, and then stealthily Justin stuck his black nose in, and then pushed his thick, black furry body through the opening door. His tail was wagging furiously, as he came over to Abby.
Abby leaned over and put her arms around the neck of her dog. And then she felt even sorrier for herself! She couldn’t even have Justin in her room any more ... not since Gloria had come. Glor-I-a was allergic to dogs ... so Justin had to sleep outside in the playhouse!
Abigail was eleven years old, the youngest in her family, although many times she felt older and smarter than fourteen year old Robert, and she definitely knew she had more sense than Caroline, who was eighteen.
Caroline studied all the time ... that is whenever anything needed to be done. She NEVER did the dishes ... she always had a paper to write for her classes at Madame Blaker’s Teachers College And when she wasn’t studying, she was washing her bee-u-tiful black curly hair and setting it just so ... or ironing her clothes for school or a date.
And that was something else; she was always talking on the phone to some of her friends. Especially Morrison Strawn! Abigail couldn’t see why she liked him so much better than Rusty, the iceman. Rusty went to Purdue to study engineering in the winter, but in the summer, he drove the ice truck and carried in blocks of ice for peoples’ iceboxes. He was just great, and he always gave ice chips to the kids on hot days.
He liked Caroline, though Abby couldn’t see why. Caroline went out with him some evenings but she was never very nice to him. It was easy to see that Caroline liked Morrison better.
Morrison’s family was rich. They lived over on Meridian Street ... and they had gotten Caroline’s name from Madame Blaker’s to be a tutor for Morrison. He went to Wabash College but he wasn’t very smart in math and needed some help so he could pass his examinations in math. So, Caroline helped him with his math and earned some money to help pay her tuition at school. And then Morrison asked Caroline to go out with him. And Caroline was so pleased!
Robert wasn’t very good at math either but Caroline never helped him! Robert was very strong though, and he was very good at football ... and baseball. He could hit a ball farther than anybody! Abigail liked Robert most of the time. He did tease sometimes, but he wasn’t really mean when he teased her. Gram always made him stop when he got too rough with his teasing.
Abigail stopped in Gram’s room almost every night before she went to bed. Gram had a little sitting room that smelled of lavender and peppermint. She always gave Abby a creamy, smooth peppermint drop and they talked about their day. Abigail told Gram almost everything. She sniffled and wiped her nose on her sleeves as she thought how hard it had been not to tell Gram her secret.
Their house was largish, but now it seemed to be filled to overflowing. It used to be that everyone had his own room. There was even a guestroom. Uncle Mike stayed in the guestroom when he came. Robert had the little room, Gram had her little two-room suite, of course, Caroline still had her own room, and Mother and Daddy were in their room. But when Aunt Hester and Uncle George came, Abigail had to share her room with Gloria and Aunt Hester and Uncle George took the guest room, and Uncle Mike had to move up to the attic. And then at Christmastime, he had to move out of the attic, but that was another story.
Abigail frowned as she thought about Christmas ... but then her thoughts turned to last summer, She thought about before Gloria came, how she and Mary Margaret, her very best friend, used to take their books and go down to the woods in the vacant lot and sit in the cool of the shady trees and read. Sometimes they took their lunches and had a picnic, and just talked.
They played in the playhouse. Sometimes they would have tea, which was really lemonade and cookies and invite their friends for afternoon tea. Sometimes they invited the grownups too. They even stayed overnight in the playhouse, too, and Justin stayed with them because the dark got a little scary. The playhouse had two stories. The first floor was tall enough even Daddy could stand up and there was a little ladder stairway to the second floor and only kids could stand up there, but there was room for two or three kids to sleep. Daddy had built the playhouse for Caroline when she was a little girl. When she had outgrown it, Robert used it for a clubhouse for his friends. And now it was Abigail’s and Justin’s since he couldn’t sleep in the house anymore.
After dinner in the summertime, she and Mary Margaret played with their friends under the streetlight in front of the house as the dusk fell into darkness. Sometimes they played hopscotch or red-light-green-light and watch the trolley cars go clattering past with the bell clanging. And she remembered back to that warm evening last summer, when Uncle Mike had hopped off the trolley car and had come swinging up the sidewalk.
CHAPTER THREE
Abigail thought about that warm summer evening when she and Mary Margaret were sitting on the front steps watching the trolley cars go by. The streetlight had just come on, and the summer evening was filled with the laughing and shouting of the boys and girls as they played on the corner. Justin was running around, his black fluffy tail wagging happily.
Mary Margaret looked so glum that Abby asked, “What’s the matter with you?”
Mary Margaret told her that they might have to move because her father had been laid off from his job.
Shocked, Abigail said, “But where would you move?”
“I don’t know,” Mary Margaret shrugged. “I don’t know where you move when you don’t have any money.”
Abigail shook her head slowly, “I don’t know, but I hope it’s close. I just couldn’t stand it if you moved far away.” Mary Margaret and Abigail were best friends.
At that moment, a trolley car screeched to a stop with sparks flying from the metal wheels on the rails. A man got off and the trolley car started off. Abigail was so surprised when she recognized that the man was her Uncle Mike. She leaped to her feet and ran to meet him. “I didn’t know you were coming!”
“Hi Abby ... are the folks inside?” Uncle Mike’s red hair gleamed in the evening sunshine and his face crinkled as he smiled at Abigail.
Abigail nodded yes, and then she asked, “Want me to get them?”
“No, that’s all right. I’ll just let myself in,” Uncle Mike answered.
“Okay.” Abby nodded and sat down by Mary Margaret again. It was always fun when Uncle Mike came to visit. He used to come in his big, shiny car and he often brought candy and gifts when he came, but not for a long time.. Recently he came only on Sundays when Mother invited him for dinner, not on an ordinary weekday night.
Shortly after Uncle Mike went in, Mother came to the door and called, “Abby! Abigail ... time to come in!”
“Oh, Mother, it’s not dark yet and Mary Margaret is here, “Abigail pleaded.
“You may go out again, until it’s dark. But right now come and help. Gram is doing the dishes.”
Abigail ran up the porch steps into the house protesting as she went, “It’s Caroline’s turn to do the dishes.”
Mother opened the screen door. Justin tried to squeeze in the door beside Abby, but Mother blocked him with her foot.
“Mother, I did dishes last night ... it’s not fair!”
Mother agreed, “I know, but Caroline has a paper to write for her college work.”
Caroline was sitting at the dining room table with books all around her. Her curling, black hair fell gracefully over her shoulders as she leaned over her work. She didn’t even look up.
“Go on now,” Mother gave Abigail a soft pat on her back. “It isn’t Gram’s turn either, you know ... she’s doing the dishes so I can help your father.”
Okay,” Abby said grudgingly and she ran on to the kitchen past the study where Father and Uncle Mike were sitting as Mother went back in to join them.
Gram smiled her nice grandmotherly smile, handed Abby a dishtowel and pointed to the clean dishes in the dish rack. “Sorry, Abby ... it’s you and me for it.”
Abigail smiled ... she really didn’t mind drying dishes with Gram. But it did make her mad that Caroline always got out of doing the dishes. And it seemed lately that Mother was hardly ever in the kitchen for after dinner clean up. She was always in the study with Father.
“Did you know Uncle Mike was coming, Gram?”
Gram just kept on washing the dishes as she replied, “I heard your father mention that he might be coming.” And then she said briskly, “Just put the dishes on the table as you dry them and I’ll put them up in the cupboard.”
The window over the sink was open and a pleasant summer breeze blew the curtains back and cooled the kitchen as they worked. It never took long to get the work done with Gram, not like when she and Caroline did the dishes together.
“Abby, are you done yet?” Mary Margaret called from the back screen door.
“Almost, “ answered Abby as she dried the silver ware and placed it in the drawer with rather noisy clinks and clanks as it landed in the silver sections. She looked at Gram who was scrubbing the pots and pans.
Gram smiled. She knew the question before Abby asked, “Can I be done now?”
“Yes, you can be done now!” echoed Gram. It was the question she always heard when they got to the pots and pans. “Hang your dishtowel on the rack and then you may go with Mary Margaret, but remember your mother wants you in the house by dark!”
Abby danced over to give Gram a quick kiss and hug and hurried out the back door with Mary Margaret. They ran down the back walk to the playhouse with Justin right at their heels. They sat down on the little front porch to talk.
Abby wanted to ask Mary Margaret more about her moving. “Where do you think you will move?”
“Daddy is looking for another job and if he can find one maybe we won’t have to move.” Mary Margaret’s brown eyes were large and solemn, but after a bit she smiled and turned to Abby and said, “Come on, let’s go play! It’s nearly dark.”
They ran down to the corner to play “red light—green light” with the other kids until the darkness fell all around their circle in the streetlight.
They knew it was time to go in even before she heard her mother call, “Abigail!” and before she had a chance to answer Mother called again, “Abigail Graham!”
“Yes, Mother ... I’m coming!”
The girls ran down the street. Abby turned into her walk and Mary Margaret ran on down to her house.
Mother was waiting at the door for her. “You go on up and get ready for bed now.”
“Do I have to ... can’t I stay up a little longer?” Abby always asked to stay up a little longer ... no matter what time it was. Mother smiled as she shook her head.
“Will you come up to say goodnight ... or can I stop in and see Gram for a bit?”
“I’ll be up later, and if you want ... and if it’s all right with your grandmother, you can stop in her room for a short good night visit.”
Abby ran upstairs and knocked on Gram’s door, which was open. She stopped to talk with Gram almost every night. She always asked if she could come in and Gram never said no. Gram smiled pleasantly and said as she always did, “Of course you can Abigail, come on in.”
And they talked and talked. Grandmother’s name was Patience Graham. She was Daddy’s mother, and had lived with them as long as Abigail could remember. Abigail told her about Mary Margaret’s father, and Gram said that she hoped they would be able to manage someway so that they wouldn’t have to move.
Abigail was puzzled and frowned a little as she said, “I wonder why Mother and Daddy and Uncle Mike are talking so long.”
Gram’s voice was flat as she said, “I could guess.”
“What? What do you think?”
“I think he wants to come here to live,” Gram replied.
“To live?” That was a new thought to Abigail. She had never thought about Uncle Mike living at their house. In one way, it might be fun having him here ... and yet a little strange. “Why do you think that? Do you think he has lost his job?”
“Yes, I think so ... and ...” Gram set her mouth firmly and stopped right there as if she had already said too much.
Thoughtfully, Abigail reached into Gram’s candy dish and carefully selected a creamy peppermint. She popped it into her mouth and enjoyed the lovely minty flavor trickling down her throat. And then Abigail asked her grandmother, “Is Uncle Mike your son?”
Gram said, “I can’t understand you with the candy in your mouth.”
Abigail took the candy from her mouth, held it between her fingers, and asked again, “Is Uncle Mike your son?”
“Oh my, no!” Gram shook her head. “Mike is your mother’s brother. You remember that his name is Mike Bartlett ... And your mother’s name was Martha Bartlett before she married your father.”
Abigail got a strange feeling that Gram was glad Uncle Mike wasn’t her son. “What about Uncle George? Is he your son?”
“That’s right, your father, Samuel and your Uncle George are my sons,” Gram explained. “And now it’s time for you to go to bed.”
“Thanks for the candy, Gram,” Abigail kissed her grandmother good night and went on to her own room.
She looked out her bedroom window at the trees stirring in the gentle summer breeze as she got ready for bed. She could hear the low murmur of voices coming up from the study where her parents and Uncle Mike were still talking. Seemed strange on an ordinary weekday night.
As it turned out, this was no ordinary weekday night and no ordinary visit, because as Gram had predicted Uncle Mike had come to stay!
CHAPTER FOUR
As Abigail opened her eyes, she had a strange feeling that something was different in the house. She sat up straight in bed and then she remembered. Uncle Mike!
Justin got up lazily, stretched and walked slowly to the bedroom door for Abigail to let him out. “You wait until I dress and then I’ll take you out.” Justin wagged his tail as if he understood and slid down to the floor on his front paws, lying squarely in front of the door.
Abigail laughed at him, patted him on his head and then stepped over him to run to the bathroom. Quickly she splashed water on her face, scrubbed her teeth and came back to get into her clothes.
Justin and Abby ran downstairs together and through the kitchen. Mother called to her from the breakfast room. “Abigail, come for your breakfast,” as Abigail opened the screen door and Justin bounded out.
When she turned from the kitchen into the breakfast room, she saw Uncle Mike at the breakfast table. He looked up and smiled, “Good morning, Abby.”
“Hi, Uncle Mike.” It really felt good to see him here, but also a little strange. She couldn’t remember Uncle Mike ever staying overnight before.
Mother said, almost as if she were interrupting anything else that Uncle Mike and Abigail might say. “Abby, before you sit down, will you put the ice card in the window? And turn it for 50 pounds.”
Abby went to the icebox and got the square card off the top. There were different numbers, 25, 50,75, 100 on each of the four edges, and the iceman would deliver the amount, which was at the top of the card. “Shall I put it in the window of the front porch? I think Rusty can see it better on the porch.”
“That’s fine,” Mother replied.
“Where is everybody?” Abby asked as she sat down. It looked as if Mother had already eaten and Uncle Mike was just finishing breakfast.
”Your father has gone to work and Caroline to school.” Caroline was taking college classes in summer school. “Robert isn’t down yet, and neither is your grandmother.”
Abby put cornflakes into a cereal bowl and then poured milk over them until they floated almost to the top of the bowl, and started to eat.
Mother got up from the table and went to the kitchen cabinet where she was kneading bread dough, and Uncle Mike said, “If you will excuse me, I’ll clear my dishes.”
He got up and took his dishes to the sink and then he got out the dishpan and soap and ran hot water into the pan.
Mother turned and looked at him, but she didn’t say anything. Just then, Gram walked into the kitchen and looked surprised, and Abigail thought, a little disapproving as she saw Mike doing the dishes.
Gram walked to the stove and poured a cup of coffee, and then turned and said, “Good Morning ... I guess I’m a little late this morning.”
Mother smiled, “Not at all ... I just thought I would get a head start on the bread, since it promises to be a hot day. I will put it up to raise for the first time ... And then, you can make up the loaves to raise the second time and bake it.”
After breakfast Abby ran out to play with Justin and she saw Mr. Allen sitting on his front porch across the street. Looking carefully both ways, she ran across the street, “Hi, Mr. Allen.”