Apron Strings

Read Apron Strings for Free Online Page B

Book: Read Apron Strings for Free Online
Authors: Mary Morony
Tags: Fiction, Literary, Retail
all the vines and bushes you couldn’t really see the house. Made it real cool in the summertime, and smelled sweeter than I ‘spect even heaven in the spring.
    Miz Bess liked to sit out on the screened in part of the porch in a rocking chair and read while Mista Gus played patience at a card table he made Cy set up right outside the floor-to-ceiling parlor window. Mista Gus could pretty much see all the goings on in the house without being seen his own self.
    Sometimes Miz Bess had to take Mista Gus up to the Annex if he’d been drinkin’ too much. The Annex was a house on the farm out near the dairy. Nobody much went near it ‘cept Wilson and Cy, and then only when they was milkin’. Had its own drive, and unless you knowed different, you mighta not thought it was even part of the Stuart’s place. Miz Bess’d stay up there with him and nurse ‘im ‘til he sobered up. Ever’body in the house had to pretend to Miz Ginny and her brothers that Mista Gus was off on a business trip and Miz Bess done gone along with him. But they couldn’t keep that lie up forever, not with Miz Ginny askin’ questions the way she did.
    I don’ rightly know what Mista Gus done to make a livin’. Miz Bess sho didn’ let him outta her sight for long. Some men folk come up to the house on occasion and I heard tell Mista Gus had himself a business partner, but I didn’ know what sorta business they was up to.
    As far as Miz Ginny was concerned, I wasn’t the only one thought she was pretty neither. That boy, called hisself CL—delivered the groceries from Sikes’s Store—piled excuse on excuse to stay in the kitchen, hopin’ to get a glimpse of her. It was right comical how he’d nod and wink at Miz Ginny when their paths crossed. She didn’ pay him no mind. Annoyin’ didn’ go half way to describin’ that boy. He was always givin’ his opinion, no matter who was talkin’ or what about. Mama shooed him away every chance she got and I can tell you he didn’ take to that, no way. He finally struck up a friendship with Mista Dennis. Them two was trouble looking for a reason to be mean. I, for one, was glad whenMista Dennis went off ta school and CL didn’ have as much reason to hang around. His head still spun like a whirligig ever’ time he step foot in the kitchen, thinkin’, I suppose, he might catch a peek at Miz Ginny.
    All dem Stuart boys was a handful. I know that the two oldest ones was sent off to school and summer camp. Mista Dennis, he stayed at home, along with Miz Ginny. That is, ‘til he gots himself into a heap of trouble with that no count delivery boy CL. I know’d Mista Gus told Mista Dennis any number of times to stay way from that devil CL, but Mista Dennis didn’ listen none. Every chance he’d get, if CL wasn’ mooning around after Miz Ginny, Mista Dennis would hightail it off to the store and wait ‘til CL was done with his chores. Then the two of them would get up to the most awful mischief. I heard tell once they’d built theyselves a big fire and tossed in gunnysacks filled with kittens and stray cats, laughin’ like fools. That did it for Miz Bess. She had enough, and was ready to send Mista Dennis off. Roberta say she heard tell that CL and Mista Dennis didn’t just burn cats. She say them two did some terrible, terrible things to a boy that lived over near Mama’s and then tried to burn him up so nobody know, but I ain’t never heard from anyone else ‘bout such a thing. One thing I do know shortly after Roberta told me her tale Mista Gus done sent Mista Dennis off to some kinda school for special children. Shoulda been
reform
school, you ask me. And Mista Gus say CL ain’t never to step foot on his place again. CL didn’t pay it much mind. He still did the deliverin’ for the store. I ‘spect he did his share of keepin’ outta Mista Gus’ way, even so.
    Miz Ginny was alone most of the time. Her daddy doted on that child and you could even say he watched her like a hawk. I

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