The Bride's House Read Online Free PDF

quietly.
    Charlie stared at him, his mouth open.
    “It is my understanding she’s not spoken for, and I invited her. She accepted.”
    “You got no right,” Charlie said.
    “Yes he does. You don’t own me, Charlie Dumas. You never asked. You presume. I guess I’ll step out with anybody I please.”
    “We got an understanding,” Charlie persisted.
    “Not with me you don’t. I never agreed to anything with you.”
    Charlie’s face turned red and he looked at his hands. Nealie hadn’t wanted to embarrass him that way, but he shouldn’t have asked her out in front of the other boarders. He should have known better.
    Mrs. Travers came out from the kitchen then, her face flushed from leaning over the cookstove, her hands wrapped in her apron. “Nealie, would you help me?” she asked. Nealie bolted from the dining room, and Mrs. Travers followed, telling the girl, “You dish up the apple crisp. I’ll finish serving.”
    Nealie went to the bucket of water and splashed the cool liquid onto her face, then turned to the dessert and scooped it into bowls. She stayed in the kitchen until the boarders finished their suppers, talking little to each other, because they were all a bit embarrassed at what had happened. They left as soon as they had eaten their desserts, all except for Will. Nealie found him waiting for her when she went back into the dining room with a shuckbroom to sweep the carpet. She was startled, and a thought came over her that Will was going to tell her he’d made a mistake in asking her out. She couldn’t blame him, of course, not after the scene Charlie had made. Will had been embarrassed, and he might think it her fault. Perhaps he had reconsidered asking her out and he was glad to have an excuse not to escort her. Maybe he’d decided she wasn’t good enough to be seen with him.
    “If you would like to be released from our commitment, I understand, although I would be greatly disappointed,” he said. “I didn’t mean to bring you complications, Miss Bent. It seems that Charlie Dumas has a prior claim.”
    Nealie looked at him a moment before she said, “Mr. Dumas doesn’t have any claim on me. Pay you no attention to him, Mr. Spaulding. He means no more to me than a horsefly. I said I was walking out with you on Sunday, and I intend to do it.” She added, “If you still want me to.”
    “I do. Of course I do.” Will smiled at her. “That’s splendid then. Since I met you, I’ve begun to like Georgetown more and more.” As he picked up his hat, he added, “If you will pardon me for saying so, I believe you deserve better than a man who takes you for granted.”
    Nealie mulled over the remark after Will left and liked it.
    *   *   *
     
    The girl was close with her money, because she had known nothing but poverty and had a great fear of being caught up in it again now that she was on her own. Nonetheless, the next day, Nealie took a five-dollar gold piece from a tobacco sack she kept hidden in the toe of one of her Sunday shoes, which she’d purchased with her first wages, and tucked it into the basket when she went to market. After she had picked out the comestibles for supper, she asked Mr. Kaiser to take down a bolt of bright green cloth sprigged with white flowers that had caught her eye.
    He unrolled the bolt and let the fabric spill across the counter. Nealie grabbed the loose material and held it against her face, then picked up a hand mirror to see whether the color suited. It was difficult to tell with the small looking glass.
    “My, that’s pretty with your coloring. I’d look just like a green tomato in it,” a woman said, fingering the cloth. She was the wife of a miner who lived near the boardinghouse, and she and Nealie had exchanged pleasantries on the street.
    “You think it suits?” Nealie asked. She wished she’d brought Mrs. Travers along for her opinion since her employer was not one to flatter, but Nealie hadn’t wanted Mrs. Travers to see how