Abigail's Strange and Unusual Summer

By Montrew Dunham

Abigail’s Strange Unusual Summer is a sequel to Abigail’s Secrets, however they are both stand-alone stories. This book is a continuing of the Graham family. In the difficult Depression years, Uncle George was out of work and his family still lived with Abby’s family. It was hard at first for Abby to share her room with Gloria, Uncle George and aunt Hester’s daughter, but she didn’t mind so much anymore. The house was pretty full, but it was kind of fun. Of course, there was mother and father and grandmother, then Caroline, her 18-year-old sister, who was a pain most of the time...but she really saved the day when she caught the runaway cow. Well, I guess it was night not day. It all happened on Abby’s birthday just as the party was over. Robert Abby’s 15 year old brother was there too, but he was running the other way. Then father and Uncle George got into the chase. It was all exciting and scary. It ended up that Caroline got the cow and put him in the stall...as father came up the alley dragging the boy behind him. The boy was kicking and screaming, “Don’t call the cops...puh-lease don’t’ call the cops!”

With the coming of this young hobo, who said his name was Rafael, there were all kinds of strange events. Who was he? Where had he come from? And where was he going? How had Claudette, the cow gotten loose? Why did father threaten to tear down the playhouse?

Then there was all the excitement with the coming of the Indiana state fair. The fairgrounds were only a few blocks away from the Graham home, and the story takes a twist and turn with Abby, Robert and their friends sneaking into the fairgrounds, their good fortune of meeting Emmy Lou and the events involving Rafeal. It all made for a strange and unusual summer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Montrew Dunham
• Release date: Oct 5, 2012
• ISBN: 9781604146141

Montrew Dunham

Montrew Dunham is the author of a number of historical biographies for young readers in the popular Childhood of Famous Americans series. When she isn’t writing, she loves spending time with her family, children, and grandchildren in Illinois and Texas.

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Abigail’s Strange Unusual Summer

Montrew Dunham

Smashwords ebook published by Fideli Publishing Inc.

Copyright 2012, Montrew Dunham

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ISBN: 978-1-60414-614-1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTEER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTEER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

CHAPTER NINETEEN

CHAPTER TWENTY

CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

CHAPTER ONE

It was the summer after Uncle Mike left and Uncle George, Aunt Hester and Gloria had moved in with their family. Franklin Delano Roosevelt was President, and though the Bank Holiday was over, many of the banks had not reopened and peoples’ savings were just gone! Many people had lost their jobs like Uncle George and couldn’t find another. Abby didn’t understand how jobs and money could just disappear. But summer 1933 was unlike any summer that Abby could remember. In fact, it was downright strange!

First of all, there was the chicken yard at the back corner of their yard by the alley, where Uncle George had set up the chicken yard. He also built the chicken coop where the chickens sat on their little nests and laid their eggs. The Graham family had never had chickens before, but these chickens provided all their eggs! Aunt Hester took care of the chickens. She carried the bags of chicken feed to the henhouse. She plucked the string tying the tops together and unraveled it to open the seed bags. Then she poured the food for the chickens into their little troughs. Gloria, Abby’s cousin, helped her mother gather the eggs. They placed them in baskets and took them into the house where they put the eggs in the icebox.

Then there was the big garden. They had always had a garden every summer, but never the size of the garden this year. About the only thing that remained the same in the yard was their playhouse. Abby looked over at the little house where Justin, their big black dog was sitting on the front porch.

Their side yard had been a wide green lawn, which grew smoothly down to the border of bushes. But now they had very little lawn and instead a large cultivated garden, with rows of tomato plants, and rows of beans and rows of squash and cucumbers and stalks of corn at the back edge of the garden, and little strawberry mounds and carrots and potatoes in the middle. Caroline, Abby’s 18-year-old sister, her 15 year old brother Robert and Abby all worked weeding the garden. Robert was very pleased with the garden because it meant that now he had very little lawn to mow. Caroline didn’t like it so well because she got her hands dirty, but Abby liked to weed. It was such a good feeling to pull up weeds from the soft dirt! When the garden needed watering, she and Robert would drag the garden hose to water the vegetables and end up squirting each other in water fights!

Stop it shrieked Abby. You’re getting me all wet!

I know, laughed her brother.

Abby ducked behind Robert and grabbed the hose, and turned the spray of water on him. Just then Mother looked out the door, and enjoyed their having fun, but she shouted, If you two don’t mind getting soaked that’s all right…but move over so the water flows off you into the garden and does some good!

Caroline came out to do her weeding, and Robert turned the water toward her. Stop! she shouted, don’t get my hair wet!

Robert laughed at her and then turned the water back on Abby, and they tussled back and forth with the hose until they were both soaking wet. Suddenly Justin, watching the fun, came running to get right in the middle of the spraying water. Then he shook his long furry coat and showered water on both Abby and Robert. Robert turned the hose on Justin again to really wet him down and then he put the hose down so it would run along the ground into the rows of growing plants.

Robert and Abby both sat down on the sidewalk, which ran along to the door of the sunroom. Robert was breathless, as he said, While I am so wet, I think I’ll wash the car.

Abby frowned, Why? Father never drives the car anyplace. I don’t understand. Why don’t we ever go for rides anymore in the car?

Robert replied, I know why. It costs money to drive the car.

Abby didn’t say anything, but she thought of all the other little things that had changed or were about to. Father said they would heat the toaster only once in the morning…if you got up late you would have cold toast.

Abby looked at her sister and thought about how upset Caroline had been when Father had the telephone taken out.

It was as if Robert knew what she was thinking, when he said, I think we are going to have more changes. We may be getting a cow.

A cow! Abby exclaimed. Whatever for!

For milk! answered Robert.

For milk? Abby repeated slowly, Are you kidding me! What makes you think we might get a cow?

I heard Father talking to Uncle George, Robert replied.

About getting a cow?

Yup! Robert answered.

And that night after dinner they heard all about it and Abby was shocked when she heard Father say where he planned to put the cow!

CHAPTER TWO

After the dinner dishes were done, Mother went into the card table in the sunroom where she had her crossword puzzle. Gram joined her and picked up her sewing and continued sewing the buttons on the shirt, which she had just finished.

Abby followed her in and sat on the floor at Gram’s feet. She admired the big orange sun on the back of the shirt, which Gram was making from a chicken feed sack.

Father had gone into the office after dinner but now he came into the sunroom and said, I would like to have a few words with the family. Where is everybody?

Mother answered, Robert is outside with his friends ... and…

Abby finished her sentence, and Caroline is getting ready to go out with Morrison, her boyfriend.

Just then Uncle George, Aunt Hester and Gloria walked in the side door. Father asked Abby, Please, go call Caroline and Robert.

Robert came in after Abby’s first call, but Caroline shouted down from upstairs, I can’t come … Morrison will be here any minute!

Father walked to the bottom of the stairs, and said quietly, "Caroline, you