Chapter 24
THE CLOUDS BREAK
"Aunt Pearly Gates, may I come in?" asked Rebecca, knocking on the cabin door.
"Come in, chil', I air sho' glad ter see you."
The old woman had a note of excitement in her voice, and Rebecca found her propped high on her pillows, her eyes shining and her hands folded over the counterpane.
Rebecca had never seen those hands quiet before except on Sunday.
"I've lots to tell you, Aunt Pearly Gates. So much has happened since yesterday. Of course you know about poor old Aunt Peachy."
"Yes, chil', I knows."
"Well, then, I'll begin about myself."
Rebecca told of the show the evening before, of her stepmother's dance and the order for the precious trunk with all the letters—letters she was sure would give proof of her being herself, as she expressed it.
"Even the aunts are interested now. I really believe they have honestly doubted me all the time, and maybe it has been kind of hard on them having me here. I am sure the letters will clear it all up."
"Honey baby, I am glad, moughty glad. You air a turnin' the sock heel, jes' lak you wa' in my dream."
"Another thing has happened even more important, Aunt Pearly Gates, 'cause it is straightening up what is going to be, and my news is only what was. The future is lots more important than the past. This is Uncle Spot's and Betsy's business and Grandfather's. This morning, just before Grandfather started to the hub factory, who should come driving up to Mill House but Betsy Bolling and Jo. Gee! Aunt Pearly Gates, she was pretty. Her hair was all rumpled and curly and her cheeks were as pink as Cherokee roses. Uncle Spot had gone to the fields, but he recognized the grey colt coming along the road and he hurried back to the house. He got right pale when he saw Betsy was in the buggy. Aunt Myra and Aunt Evelyn were sitting on the front porch with Grandfather waiting for the mail, and I was humped up on the steps, wondering if I would be allowed to go to Aunt Peachy's funeral—something I certainly wanted to do—when Betsy and Jo came driving up. The aunts looked mighty stiff backed and aristocratic, and Grandfather looked puzzled, but he got up and started down the walk to meet Betsy. She jumped out of the buggy and reached under the seat and pulled out a great package, and without saying a word to Uncle Spot, who was hurrying along to help her, she went to Grandfather and held out the heavy package to him.
"'The deed books' she said. 'I found them in Aunt Peachy's room.' And do you know, Aunt Pearly Gates, Grandfather just took Betsy and the deed books all in his arms and hugged them and kissed them! I mean, of course, he hugged both of them, but kissed only Betsy. And then there was such another getting together as you never saw. The aunts were gracious and shook hands with Betsy, and Uncle Spot looked like he was going to die right there from absolute happiness. Grandfather apologized for having been so nasty to the Bolling family, and Betsy just laughed and blushed and said she must be going home to help her mother, and Grandfather told Uncle Spot he had better call it a day and lay off and see his sweetheart home—and that's all!"
"Well, Gawd be praised! When Marse Bob do come 'roun' he sho' do come 'roun' right. I reckon he air already plannin' a new wing ter Mill House fer Marse Spot's wife."
"And then, Aunt Pearly Gates, guess what that saucy Jo said!"
"What he say, chil'?" laughed Aunt Pearly Gates.
"He said that he would be my uncle-in-law and I'd have to mind everything he said. And I said it would depend on what he'd tell me to do—and he had the impertinence to whisper that when I grew up he might make me marry him. I told him he'd have to get to be a lot more like his brother before I'd even consider him."
"And what did Marse Bob say to that?"
"Grandfather laughed, and said there would have to be a few more deed books lost and found before he'd consent to any more joining of hands across the water, but he seemed to like Jo because Jo wasn't a bit afraid of him.
"But tell me, Aunt Pearly Gates, weren't you shocked to hear about Aunt Peachy? It seemed so sad for everybody to be glad she is dead. Betsy told me even her father was glad."
The old woman stirred restlessly, and reaching under the covers turned the eggs which she was endeavoring to hatch.
"How did you feel, Aunt Pearly Gates, when you got the news that Aunt Peachy was dead? When did you hear it?"
"It wa' las' night, honey, las' night, 'bout half-past leben o'clock. Me 'n' Si had done been asleep fer some hours. I wa' kinder wo' out with one thing an' another an' I went off ter sleep early. I had woke up with a kinder tingling an eatchin' in my foots. You know sence I been took so bad I ain't had much er any feelin' in my foots. Mos' generally they air kinder numb lak. It's been a good thing they didn't never eatch, 'cause you see I ain't had no power ter lif my foot up ter scratch an' I ain't had no power to lean down so fur to git to 'um. I ain't been able ter do mo'n jes' reach an' turn the aigs, which generally is about by my knees. Well, when this funny kinder tinglin' an' eatchin' struck me, befo' I know'd what I wa' a doin' I had lif up my foot some and wa' a reachin' down to it an' found' myse'f a scratchin' er my big toe. I done it so nachul I didn't give it no min', but jes' went on a scratchin', enjyin' er myse'f considerable. Jes' then they wa' a big knockin' on the cabin do' an' Pete Turner hollered out, 'Aunt Peachy, over ter Bollings', is done fell down the steps an' broke her damn neck!' He never stopped ter say mo', but jes' went on a spreadin' the news on his way. Si 'n' I wa' so took back we didn't have no time ter git shocked over Pete a cussin' ter us. An' you know what I done, Beck baby? I sot up straight in the baid an' I praised the Lord. I sot up so easy lak it didn't come ter my min' that I ain't sot up ter say straight, 'thout pillers a proppin' me, fur twenty years."
"Gawd in Heaven! What yo' doin', Pearly Gates?" said Brer Johnson. "Air you sick?"
"Sick! No; I reckon I'm well."
"An' then you know, Beck baby, it comed over me all of a heap that Aunt Peachy wa' daid, an' the conjer on me wa' lifted."
"You mean you won't have to stay in bed any more? How splendid! But surely, Aunt Pearly Gates, you don't really believe that old Aunt Peachy had any power over you. She couldn't have had."
"I don't know what to believe, chil'. All I know is that she air dead an' I kin scratch my big toe, which I ain't been able ter do fer twenty years. I mought a been gittin' better anyhow, jes' from the nachul co'se er events, but it do seem kinder strange that I took ter eatchin' an' scratchin' jes' 'bout the time ol' Mam' Peachy fell down the steps. I reckon I air gonter have ter learn ter walk all over, but I'm a gonter be tryin' it befo' so very long, Miss Beck, baby.
"I'd be up an' at it now if it wa'n't fer this settin' er aigs. The chicks will be a comin' through any time now. I'm 'spectin' of em this very day. As fer that ol' duck aig—it'll jes' have ter spile. I ain't never 'lowed I'd turn myse'f inter no settin' duck."