Cindersue part 2

part 2
"Dear sister , I am writing to you to tell you about an offer I believe you will want to be thinking about. Me and my daughters, Anna Loraine and Virginia Amy would like to invite little Cindersue to come live with us in Knoxville. I will gladly take her in and send her to a real school so she can make something of her self like my young ones have started to do. She can even get an after school job and send you money every time she gets a payday.We all think it would do the child better to have this opportunity. We would love the company and the house we just bought
has a extra bedroom. I am sending you a money order for her bus ticket and hope to see her soon. Love your sister, Lucyball."
Cindersue listened to her mama read the letter with her eyes wide. By the time mama stopped reading Cindersue was smiling so big her jaws were starting to ache. She was so excited she didn't notice the small tear that fell out of her mama's eye.
Jumping up from her chair, Cindersue started to dance around the small kitchen waving her arms .
"Knoxville Tennessee! The big city! Oh mama do you think aunt Lucyball really wants me to come there and go to a real school?"
Lookin at her little girl gettin so happy Cindersue's mama forced a smile and wiped her eye with her apron. She got up and punched at the fire to well it up so she could fry their eggs, turning her back to Cindersue she said,
"Well I see I don't hafta ask you iffin you wanna go."
" Oh mamma I do wanna go, I really do. I promise I will send you money if I get
a job and ill write you everyday. and ill buy you the purddiest new shoes I can find and and ..."
"Settle down child, we still got to talk about this a mite." Cindersue hugged her mamma real hard and kissed her on the cheek.
"Ok mama but I sure do hope will let me go" she said still smiling to beat the band.
She went and got the breakfast dishes, set the table and when they had finished eating, she helped her mama clean up.
All through this, Cindersue was quiet. She had the feeling mama wasn't as happy about her goin to the big city as she was.
As she set off to the creek to get water after breakfast so they could wash clothes that day, Cindersue had all kinds of thoughts going thru her head. She had never dreamed she would get to live in a real town much less go to school and have money from a job. So she day dreamed about all the good things that might happen if her mama let her go. Sure, she would miss the cabin but it wouldn't be forever,and when she came home she would bring lots of stuff he mama would want and maybe just maybe she could get her self a car one day and when she was old enough she could drive her mama to church and to visit some other family that had moved off the mountain.
She day dreamed all day.Ideas danced in her head even while they washed the clothes, hung them up on the clothesline her mama had strung between two tall white pine trees in the back yard.
She hummed to her self all day to show mama how happy she was and she said a little prayer to God that her mama would say she could go. When the cabin got quiet after supper that night, Cindersue and her mom were resting on the front porch listening to the tree frogs bark. It startled her, when all of a sudden her mama said:
"Well, I been thinking all day girl and I recon if going to live with Lucyball and them kids of hers makes you as happy as you acted all day, you can go. I'll hitch up the ol mule tomorrow and ride to the co-op and buy you a bus ticket to Knoxville."
When she heard what her mamma had said ,Cindersue got up and hugged her mamma really tight.
"Thank you mama! I'll make you proud of me I really will! She whispered in her mothers ear as she hugged her tight. Her mamma held her at arms length and looked right in cindersues face and said "You just remember this o'l Lucyball may not be as nice as she sounds in this letter. You were just a baby last time I seen her and them two youngins of hers.It was a pure fact that she was bragging to everybody in the letter she sent at the last reunion on the mountain, that her and her kids got that new house and a fancy indoor toilet and to tell you the truth she sounded kinda high handed to me. but I could be wrong. you just watch yourself good ok babygirl?"
"I will mamma' Cindersue said. "I promise, I just know its gonna be finer than frog hair and thank you mamma,, ill never forget this as long as I live."

The next few days passed fast for Cindersue. Her mamma got her bus ticket and she packed the one cardboard suit case they had and before she knew it she was waving bye to her mama from the window of a big greyhound bus. Heading out with excitement, on what she hoped was her start to a new life. One that would help her and her mama. She watched wide-eyed at the passing country side . She reckoned fall was the purddest time of all on her mountain. Red, gold, green,russet and silver leaves rushed by her eyes as the bus wound down the mountain toward Knoxville. She fell asleep in no time from the soft rumble of the greyhound and slept till the bus pulled into the Knoxville station...
The noise of the big buss's air brakes made a whooshing sound as the bus came to a stop and the driver announced to the passengers, " Downtown Knoxville station .. You have 20 minutes before departure to Chattanooga and thank you for riding with Greyhound" Cindersue opened her eyes wide and watched quietly as people got off the bus and started into the doors of the station. She was still wide eyed watching the hussle and bustle of people through the smoky darkness of the bus window, when the driver spoke to her. " Little lady aint you getting off here? " Cindersue jumped up holding the cloth pocketbook she borrowed from her mama and let out her breath. She hadn't realized she had, in all the excitement been actually holding her breath, and swallowed hard. "Yes sir I shore am, I'm a coming to stay with my aunt and cousins and going to a real school" This made the driver smile as he remembered him self at about this gals age and his wonderment at leaving his mountain home in Virginia and seeing a big city for the first time. " Ok gal, now you go on in the station and wait till your aunt comes for you. ya hear? Don't go stepping out on the street or nothing. Big city aint like home ya know" Cindersue smiled at the old bus driver and she could tell he was trying to be nice and watch after her." I'll be jest fine mister I am already almost 13 years old."
" Well you watch your self same as " He told her. And with that, she walked up the isle of the big bus and stepped down the two steps and into the outside station area to find he had already unloaded her satchel from under the bus. The string mama had tied on it to make sure it didn't pop open and lose all her clothes was raveled but not broken. Taking another deep breath and smelling the tang of all the bus exhaust and all of a sudden feeling a just tiny bit scared, she shook the scardy cat feeling off , squared her shoulders like her uncle Jim Ray, used to do when he told stories about his being in the war and facing the o'l sneaky enemy. Puttin on a brave face he used to call it, and walked into the main bus station area..
Inside the station was about the nicest place Cindersue had ever seen. Everything was shiny and new looking. People were walking everywhere and she could smell food being cooked behind a counter on her right. She walked around the place slowly taking in all the new sights,sort of like a new born will do when its just learning who its mammy and pappy are.She hadn't been there too long when she saw two doors opening and closing as the folks went in and out. One had a picture of a man on it and the other had a woman. She fell into the woman's line and into the door she went. It looked like a huge white outhouse! There was running water and about ten sinks along one wall. She had seen city bathrooms in some magazines her aunt Lucyball had sent her mama but nothing like this. She watched the women painting their faces, primping their big ratted up hair and washing their hands, all while staring into big square looking glasses She was amazed when she saw them turn the silver knobs on the sinks and hot and cold water came out."
" Well ill be danged" cindersue said under her breath. "Now if this aint something to tell mamma about. "
"WHAT YA STANDIN THERE GAWKING AT GIRL? AINT YOU NEVER SEEN A BATHROOM AFORE?" A big girl in a red coat, had come right up to her and was talking loud in her face. Stepping back Cindersue felt hot and flushed. " I , I " was all she could stammer as she backed away from the fancy dressed gal and ran for the door. She heard some of the women laughing as she dashed back into the stations big room. She clutched her cardboard suit case and quickly found a place to sit down. She was sweating and suddenly felt very out of place. She realized she didn't even know what o'l aunt Lucyball and her youngans looked like. It had been a few years since they had sent any photographs and she was starting to feel scared of this new place. Surely,she thought, they must know to look for her. Mama had tied a nice yellow ribbon in her hair off the dress her mama had been saving to be buried in.. To make you look pruddy, her mama had said. She touched the ribbon and got a powerful case of homesickness. She felt a salty hot tear sneak out of her eye and roll down her cheek. Squeezing her eyes tight and trying to hold back the flood of tears that seemed about to burst from her, she bit her lip and held it back...
"Oh mama I miss you so bad already, this place is big and scary and I wanna be home with you on the mountain,and I don't wanna live in a big city and and and...".
She started to sniffle as these thoughts got stronger and suddenly someone touched her arm .
" Honey are you alright?" Opening her eyes and wiping away the almost falling tears she saw a thin old lady sitting beside her. "Yes mam "cindersue said" "I recon I'm just as home sick as anyone ever been right bout now".
The woman nodded knowingly and patted Cindersues arm again. " Well now, don't you worry child, Home is always in your heart and you can go there anytime you want to, Just think of home and you will be there. You remember that ya hear?"
Seeing the nice smiling lady and hearing the kind words made Cindersue feel loads better. She thanked the lady and watched her as she got up caring her leather bag and walked toward the exit door of the station. Maybe it wont be all that bad living here, she thought. Now calmed a bit she realized she was gettin kinda hungry. The cooking smells from the corner of the station had made her stomach growl. Opening her pocketbook she took out the two home made biscuits her mama had packed for her trip. Wrapped in mammas best kitchen towel, they were loaded with honey and butter and the first bite tasted like heaven to Cindersue. She took another bite then wrapped both biscuits back up to saved them for later.Seemed a sin to gobble up such fine biscuits all at once. Just tasting the biscuit had fortified her and she once again looked around the big station.
It seemed she had been sitting and watching for hours. With no sign of aunt Lucyball and her youngins. She awoke with a start at the sound of a big clap of thunder and realozed she had dozed off. It was dark out already and she saw lightning flicker off he windows. The station was almost empty. Standing up and stretching her legs she sighed and picked up her satchel and pocketbook. Maybe ill ask someone to show me how to use the telephone she thought. She knew mama had put the last letter from aunt Lucyball in her satchel and Lucyball had bragged enough in letters to mama bout how they had a telephone to use any time they wanted since her uncle James and brow beaten husband to Lucyball, had died of heart failure a few years ago. Maybe they forgot what day I was going to get here she thought. Reaching for the string to untie her case and look for the letter, she heard a loud voice coming in the front door of the bus station.
"Thank the Lord and praise Jesus my legs are killing me" A large woman in a velvet dress followed by two pale chubby girls were waking in the big door. They looked flustered and fat. Lace and bows covered their dresses and their hair was curled so tight Cindersue figured their toes just may be pinched. She giggled to her self then realized it was her old aunt Lucy ball, and that had to be her cousins Anna Loraine and Virginia Amy!! They were rushing toward the counter of the ticket booth and talking loudly at the same time..
" Good Lord where is that gal?" Lucyball said. That's when she noticed Cindersue standing by the chair she had been sitting in.
"There you are!, Why in tarnation didn't you call me when you got here gal? This heres Virginia Amy and Anna Loraine, and I can tell that's you Cindersue, you got your daddies big nose. Come along now we aint got all night. I got a taxi waiting and Lord in heaven knows they aint cheap. Git your stuff and get a moving."
Cindersue stood frozenl in shock . It couldn't be, but it was. Standin there in the flesh, her aunt and cousins and all decked out in fancy clothes and high healed shoes to boot. Looking all citified.
" Lets move!" Lucyball hollered and that made Cindersue jump.
" Looks to me like she retarded mama " The biggest girl said.
" Well retarded or not here she is and we got to go now." Lucyballs voice was already beginning to grate on Cindersues nerves. To be her mamas sister they sure were different .
In every place her mama was soft and sweet o'l aunt Lucyball looked hard and sour. Picking up her case she quickly followed the three waddling relatives out on to the sidewalk. With no welcome hugs or kisses it seemed to Cindersue they acted like they were picking up a sack of meal or flour at the store rather than greeting a cousin they hadn't seen in years. Still talking and now grabbing her arms they led her to a yellow car with a light on its roof pushed her in with them and slammed the car door. She was smashed in-between her two chubby cousins.
Both girls had big wad of chew gum they were working like a cow does its cud and as she watched in shock, the one they called Virginia Amy made a nasty face and stuck her pink tongue out at Cindersue..
Cindersue didn't quite know what to do so she tried to concentrate on her aunts voice. " How old are ya gal?" She was asking . "Speak up so I can hear you why don't ya?"
"Why I'm almost twelve years old aunt Lucyball." Cindersue finally said. Then quickly added, "And I'm pleased as punch you ask me to come live here with you so I can go to school in a big city."
Well don't git your cart before your horse young lady" Theys things got to be done for you can go to school."
Her chubby cousins giggled at this and suddenly Cindersue smelled the toilet water they must have took a bath in. It was so strong it almost made her sick to her stomach. Cindersue knew right then and there that she wanted out of the yellow car with the light on top and far away from her fruity smelling loud old aunt and her sweaty old cousins...
"What do I smell ?" whined Anna Loraine? Cindersue didn't know how Anna Lorene could smell anything over that toilet water she was wearing. Virginia Amy grinned, "Smells like biscuits!."
Cindersue opened her thin pocket book and said "Oh mama packed me two biscuits from breakfast in case I got hungry on the bus" Carefully unwrapping mamas towel from them. Anna Loraine grabbed the biscuits away as fast as a starving dog grabbed scraps and stuffed one in her mouth.
Virginia Amy took the other one from her chewing sister and popped it in her mouth whole. Cindersue wondered how two big girls like them could be that starved and tried to remember that to be selfish was a sin. It still hurt her to see nothing but crumbs in the now empty kitchen towel her mama had wrapped so lovingly. As she watched the honey and butter being licked from around the cousins mouths she again felt homesick and wondered when she would ever taste another one of her mamas homemade biscuits. Well no use crying over spilt milk or all eaten up biscuits . She heard in her head but it was her mothers voice. It made Cindersue smile thinking how mama always made light of somethign bad. No matter what happened her mama tried to always keep Cindersue from being sad.
"Don't you laugh at me you o'l dirty barefooted ridge running hillbilly!" Virginia Amy snapped at her sharply. "I ate that o'l biscuit to be nice because you offered it to us and it weren't even that good no ways" I'd a lot rather have the canned ones we buy at Cas walkers grocery any day so there!"
Cindersue had taken about all she could take of this trip and the hateful talking cousin and old aunt Lucyball. She felt the dander rising on her head and knew her temper was coming to a peak. Balling up one fist she was almost ready to let fat honey butter faced virginia Amy have a nice big shiner to take to school for a week or two, when the yellow car pulled over to the side of the road and stopped in front of a big redish brick house.." We're here now yall git out and go on in" Lucyball said as she handed the car driver some money,. and got out herself.
Both cousins were already out and half way up the many concrete steps to the front porch of the house . "Come on Cindersue" Her aunt said " This is where I live. Lets git amovin. Suppers got to be cooked and I know the breakfast dishes are about done soaking from this morning so come on hurry it up." Cindersue unballed her fist, picked up her cardboard suit case and her mamas pocket book and walked behind her limping aunt to the front door of the big brick house. Thunder rolled and Cindersue once again saw lightning in the darkened sky. She wasn't mad any more but feeling just as lonesome as the rain she could smell coming from the east where her mama was . Safe in the tiny cabin on the mountain..
When she walked into the big house Cindersue drew in her breath. It may have looked nice and pretty on the outside but inside was a pig sty. Everywhere she looked was filthy.
Why it looked worse than old man Ridenours place did when he broke both his legs after his wagon tumbled off the bluff while he was ahauling whiskey.Thought Cindersue. Mama said he had laid in his cabin nie on three weeks afore mama and some church women went a calling and found him there laying his own stink.
Mama told her he couldn't help his self . The old bachelor had about starved to death alaying there too. It took three women two days to git the place livable,where all chickens and piglets had wandered in when old man Ridenour hadn't been able to keep up their feedins. They cleaned the cabin, set his legs best they could, got him washed and fed, and finially got him started back on the healthy side.
That being as it was, Cindersue could understand, but this was just awful!, With three females in the house it shouldn't have had a speck of dust any where let alone this mess. Standing stock still she watched as her cousins went right over to the sofa, kicking old magazines and news papers out of their way as they went.
Cindersue thought she even smelled dog mess in the house!. This was soon proved true when the ugliest little dog she ever saw, came running in the room yapping and barking at the cousins, stopped by a big orange chair, lifted his leg and peed right on the leg of the chair!. No one even took notice. Then it hopped on the green tatty sofa and started licking both girls faces. No doubt smelling the honey and butter they had gobbled from her mamas biscuits. Aunt Lucyball tossed her pocketbook on the table by the front door and dropped her black wool coat down on the floor beside it. " Come on gal i'll take you to the kitchen, I told ya supper is already late from us havin to go git you at that bus station.Let's git amoving"
Still holding her satchel and pocketbook and now her nose as well, only inside her nose not with her fingers like she wanted to do because it would be rude, she followed her aunt into another room. Turning on the kitchen overhead light Lucyball said a bit too loudly, "I know my sister taught you to cook so you set your stuff down by the back door yonder and git started washing them dishes then I want that meat in the icebox cooked with some mashed taters and green beans fer supper ."
Cindersue did know how to cook a little, but she didn't know she was going to have to cook a whole meal her first night there. "We got a new E-lectric cook stove all you got to do is turn a knob and it cooks, so id say ya best git it going. We aint ait since three o'clock this afternoon and its darn near eight at night now.. I git the belly ache iffin I don't eat on time and I feel it comin on now. I better go lay a spell till suppers ready.".
With that, she walked out and left Cindersue in the dirty kitchen alone. She could hear her cousins laughing in the livingroom at the dog and as she looked around the kitchen at the mess. She once again squared her shoulders, put on her brave face and after setting her things by the back door,being careful to fold her sweater to lay on top of her case, she rolled up her sleeves and started taking leftover breakfast dishes out of the ice cold water in the big sink. She washed and cleaned and finally got the hang of the cooking stove . It amazed her to see the rings on top glow red when she turned the black knobs on the front. She went into what mama used to call her determined self and got super on and cooking before she even realized she was almost done. She had cleaned cooked washed and set the table without stopping and when she did stop, she was kinda proud of her self. The kitchen was so much nicer clean and she set the table real pretty like. Her stomach growled and Cindersue knew this was going to be a meal she could be proud of. Maybe it would please her aunt Lucyball and show her and her cousins she really was glad to be in Knoxville with them. So smiling to herself, she started to hum a song of her mamas as she put the supper on the table.. " I am a poor warefairing strangerrrrr" She hummed hearing her mama once again in her head.
" Well its bout time I'm near starved to death" Grumbled aunt Lucyball as she came limping back into the kitchen." Girls come on suppers ready!" All three hurried into the kitchen and sat down and started putting food on their plates. "Now Cindersue" Aunt Lucyball said as she chewed the chicken fried steak Cindersue had cooked. "Git in yonder and fix up my bedroom so I can git right to bed after I eat. Iffin I don't lay a spell after I eat my head aches . They is clean sheets in the dresser, fix it nice fer you aunt ok child."
Cindersue could hardly nod her head yes for she was powerful hungry now and tired too, but watching the cousins and old aunt Lucyball shovel food in their mouths kinda made her sickly feeling so she figured she would do as her aunt asked and eat when she was done.
Her aunts bedroom wasn't any better than the rest of the house she had already seen. Dirty clothes on the floor and books and magazines falling off the big bed. Cindersue went to the dresser and got the clean sheets and stripped the bed. She stacked the books and magazines beside the bed and put all the dirty clothes in a pile by the closet door. After the bed was made and the room picked up somewhat, she went back in to the kitchen. Her relatives were just finishing and getting up from the table. She could hardly believe there wasn't one bite of meat and gravy left and only a half a small slice of cornbread and maybe three spoons of green beans, the mashed tater bowl looked like it had been licked plumb clean
." Yep I was right" Aunt Lucyball said picking her teeth with a thin sliver of wood. "My sister did teach you to cook after all now didn't she gal?"
" Yes mam" was about all cinder sue could muster to say she was so tired .
" That she did aunty Lucyball, that she did"
" Alright I guess you better clean up this mess and git ready for bed now, we got us a long day tomorrow and I don't want you sleeping late. my girls has to have a hot breakfast afore they go to school so I want you up soon as day breaks you hear me?" When your done cleaning this up Virginia Amy will show you where to bed."
With thatsaid, Lucyball waddled out of the kitchen and into the newly cleaned bed room..
Cindersue scrapped the plates into the trash and ate the meager bites left in the serving bowls and put everything back in order in the kitchen. As she was drying the dishes her cousin Virginia Amy came in and said " See that door yonder? well they is a cot on the closed in back porch where you can sleep , mama said to tell you". And then Virginia Amy let out a loud burp, and walked out of the kitchen leaving Cindersue alone once again. Except for the little ugly dog who was now under the table watching her every move.
Being careful to keep her voice low she looked at the little dog and said "I don't give a rats butt where I sleep I'm so tired right now" Cindersue picked up her things and opened the porch door and saw that a cot and a big wooden ironing board were the only things in the closed off porch room. The light from the kitchen made it where she could see well enough to go to the cot and lay down. She was closing her eyes almost before her head hit the hard lump that was to be her pillow and instantly fell into a restless sleep..
The warm sun beat down on her face as Cindersue walked through the wild flowers in the field beyond the cabin. Wild purple violets , yellow and white daisies and jack in the pulpit flowers, made the field come alive with colors. She carried a small basket on her arm and had it almost full of plump sweet blackberries she had picked on her walk that morning. "Mamas gonna love these" Cindersue told her yellow cull dog Mustard. "I bet she makes us a cobbler fer after supper , what cha bet you good old dog?" Getting closer to the cabin she could hear her mama singing in the distance while she hung out the wash on the line.
Her mama shore could sing thought Cindersue. Her voice filled the hollow with happiness,and for Cindersue there wasn't a grander sound than to hear her mama singing . It meant all is well and her mama was happy. Mustard spied a couple brown cotton tails ahead on the path and off he ran after them in a playful chase. Cindersue laughed as she skipped on the trail home listening to her mamas sweet voice and mustards bark, bark, bark..
BARK, BARK ,BARK... Cindersue awoke with a start. It was still dark and she wasn't in her cabin . Bark bark!... Then she realized it hadn't been mustard barking.She had been dreaming. No, she wasn't home on her mountain at all, she was in Knoxville at aunt Lucyballs house. It was the tiny ugly dog barking that woke her up. She stretched and every inch of her body was sore as a risin. slowly getting off the cot she groaned as her small body did protest the movements. Still in her traveling dress from yesterday she slowly picked up her suitcase un- tied the raveled string and opened it. Inside were her few clothes, her bible aunt Lucys letter, and her sewing basket. She remembered she had to be ready for breakfast early like aunt Lucy said , so she picked out her blue day dress and some clean bloomers.
The kitchen was still dark but the morning sun was waking up and let enough light in the grimy kitchen window for her eyes to adjust in no time. Remembering her way back into the living room she slowly tippy toed so not to wake her aunt and cousins and looked for a door that would open to the indoor bathroom . Ugly dog was still yapping and she reckoned the poor feller had to pee about as bad as she did . Then she remembered the dog would probly just pee on the chair again, but she had to go and go right now.!! Crossing her legs and wiggling she opened the first door she saw. Inside she saw the two beds her cousins were sleeping in and the two big lumps their bodies made under the covers and she could hear them both snoring like bears. Closing the door with out a peep she went to the second door. She opened it and saw the indoor toilet. She had an idea of what to expect already from pictures in magazines but when she pulled the light cord hanging in the center of the ceiling she was once again shocked. The white toilet seat was grimy dirty as was the big white tub and sink. More dirty clothes littered the floor and several piles of dog mess lay beside the tub. No way could she start to wash up for breakfast in this filthiness, so she opened the only other door in the room and sure enough it was a towel closet . Several shelves were crammed with wadded up bath towels but one held an array of cleaning supplies. She found a rag that wasn't too awful nasty and set about cleaning the bathroom.
An hour later things were clean and she then went about washing her self. She didn't fill the big tub because she didn't really know where her aunts water came from exactly and if she used it all filling her a bath her cousins might not get one so Cindersue didn't take any chance on that. She washed in the sink. face, arms, legs, and private parts with some of her aunts sweet smelling bar soap. It smelled much nicer than her mamas homemade lye soap but she did wish she had brought a cake or two of that strong lye soap to clean things with. Once her hair was combed and she had washed her teeth with the store bought tooth brush her mama got her last Christmas and retied the yellow ribbon off her mamas funeral dress in her hair, she felt ready for another day in Knoxville...
Cindersue's aunt and cousins were still sleeping when she had finished bathing, so she walked quietly back to the closed in porch She had washed her yellow cotton traveling dress and bloomers in the sink and now carried them still wet to the back porch. She took the string that had been around her suit case and tied it to some nails she found in the porch walls to make her self a nice wash line.They will dry just fine she thought as she draped them over the string. Sitting back on the cot she wondered to her self what to do next. She was happy the sun was shinning outside. She had seen it coming in the kitchen window. Maybe i"ll go out side a minute and see if I can find some flowers for the table this morning. She loved to bring wild flowers in to her mama as she totted the water back from the creek for when mamma started their breakfast . It always dressed up the table real nice. Flowers put a smile on any room mama had told her.
She thought aunt Lucyball and her youngans needed a smile or two. She decided if they was a selling smiles they would be in the poor house by now. This thought made Cindersue smile herself and so out side she would go a flower huntin. She noticed a latch on the door going out of the porch room. When she pulled it the door opened to the back yard and she quietly went out and shut it behind her.
Only one or two small trees graced the back yard. Not like in her mountains where trees were like piss ants, all over creation. So two trees would have to do her she guessed . She was glad they were pretty trees, dogwoods. One pink and one white. Jesus died for me trees, her mamma called them. Cindersue thought how nice they would be to sit under and dream away the day like she did back home. She didn't see one single flower in the back yard, and very little grass either. Just two lonesome trees. But fine ones they were. She giggled as a grouchy o'l blue jay fussed at her for disturbing his morning and broke a small branch of blooms off each one. This should dress things up. Cindersue thought, and with limbs in hand she went back in the porch door as quite as she could to look for a mason jar to put water in to keep them nice and pretty for the eating table..
When she got the mason jar set center of the table she sat down and waited for her relatives to wake up and start the day.....
end of part 2