Fireflies

By Jeannette Perry

Jamie has been married for three years and lives in Urich, Missouri on a farm with her husband Henry and his two brothers. It is 1866 and life is simple, life is good. Jamie gets pregnant and her parents come to stay for the birth of the new addition to this small family. Life gets very interesting. It changes in ways she never dreamed of. This starts the story of life on the Missouri frontier.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Dec 17, 2010
• ISBN: 9781456713256

Book preview

© 2010 Jeannette Perry. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means without the written permission of the author.

First published by AuthorHouse 12/10/2010

ISBN: 978-1-4567-1323-2 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-1325-6 (e)

ISBN: 978-1-4567-1326-3 (hc)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2010918468

Printed in the United States of America

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Thinkstock are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Thinkstock.

This book is printed on acid-free paper.

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any Web addresses or links contained in this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

I would like to dedicate this book to my family, my husband and children, Pastor Paula, who encouraged me to write this book, my friend Sali, who drew the front cover and to my Heavenly Father who gave me the words.

Contents

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter One

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The sun hadn’t come up yet, but already the wash was going. As the sheets were being hung on the line, Jamie Stuart hummed to herself. This was a day that she would never forget. She had been working for three years to get the house looking the way it did now and she was proud of the effort that had been put forth. Picturing the day and the meal that would be served, she smiled. There would be roast chicken, fresh potatoes, corn straight from the cob and green beans. The bread was already rising and almost ready for baking. All of the food was provided for by the farm. The garden had given them fruits and vegetables that she preserved. They had raised the chickens and beef that they consumed and had traded a variety of meats to the neighbor just the north of them for a hog. They had raised the wheat and had taken it each year to the mill for grinding.

The house was decorated with the doilies on the furniture and tables. The rag rugs that had been made were on the floors and ready for all the friends and neighbors who were coming to see her mom and dad.

Henry had bought the property from a friend who had changed his mind about building a life in Missouri. Henry and his brothers, John and Mark, had come out in the early spring of 1863 and built the house and planted the first crops. Mark had stayed behind to watch the crops and finish the house where he and John would live while John and Henry returned to Baltimore for the wedding. After the wedding John and the new couple had traveled by wagon train back to Urich, Missouri to begin their new lives on their farm. They had been happy when the wagon train waved good bye to them as they headed down the trail to their new house, their trip finally over.

After arriving at the farm on that day back in 1863, she had been putting her touches in the yard with flowers and plants. She had made curtains and crocheted table cloths and doilies for the house. Finally, today all of her work was about to be seen by her family and she smiled as she looked over her efforts.

The sun had finally come up and the warmth of it felt good on her face as she stood by the clothes line. She laid her hand on her stomach as the movement there assured her that the baby was active and doing fine. This baby was the reason her parents were coming to stay for the winter. Although it was just early September and this baby wasn’t due until late October, her parents Mindy and Joseph Green, had decided to come a little early and spend the winter so they could have some time with their daughter and son-in-law before the big day.

Henry had added a room on the back of the house so they could have their own quarters for the duration of their visit. After they returned home, Jamie would fix it into a bedroom for her and Henry and their room would become the baby’s room.

Jamie moved away from the clothes line and went inside and sat down in the oversized rocking chair that Henry had made her. He had also taken a portion of one of the fallen trees in the field, and made an ottoman out of it. She had taken some straw and stuffed it into a pillow cover she had made and then attached it to the log. She put her feet up on the ottoman and smiled. It was good to rest for a while before putting the bread in the oven to bake.

She closed her eyes while listening to the sounds of the day. There was a small breeze and the sound of the wheat and corn stalks moving with the air as it passed through the field. The bluebirds and meadow larks were singing somewhere out on a fence post. The chickens were clucking as they pecked at the ground. Betsy, the cow was in the yard munching on the grass.

Oh no! If she was eating grass, she would soon be eating the flowers. Jamie came up out of the rocker with a jolt. Betsy! she hollered. She tripped as she cleared the ottoman. As she stumbled and caught herself on the table edge, she was thankful that she didn’t hurt herself.

Betsy, get out of the flowers, she yelled again.

As she reached the door, Betsy was ready to munch down on the petunias at the edge of the porch. Just in time, aren’t I? Get away from there. You get back out to the meadow and eat the clover. Jamie clapped her hands and sent Betsy out of the yard at a run.

She went back to the kitchen to put the bread in the oven. Once there she took a look at the chicken and veggies. She had the meat baking at a low temperature so that the flavor would be at its peak. She had added the veggies later to bake with the meat. She took them out of the oven and put them in the side oven for final baking.

She reached for the pan of bread and put it into the oven so it would be ready for lunch. There were eight loaves total. That should be enough for lunch and for the rest of the week. Yes, she had done a good job with all of her prep work. This would be a good meal and a great day.

About eleven, she went to put on one of her good dresses. There was the grey one with pink collar and cuffs, and the purple one that had a white crocheted collar. She had made it when she started to get bigger with the baby. The deep purple made her look smaller. At the waist, she had made it full and comfortable. She had a matching tie so that after the baby, the dress would match her shrinking body. Yes, this would be the one she would wear today.

She laid the dress on the bed as the mirror had gotten her attention. She gave herself a once over as the reflection showed her light blond hair put high on her head and her petite face and body except for that protruding tummy that was the result of Henry’s love. She smiled as she thought of his love making skills. She then dressed quickly and went outside to take the sheets off the line. They were sparkling white and smelled fresh and clean. She quickly took them inside and made her parents bed. Finally, she thought everything was ready.

Just then she heard a sound coming from outside. It was like a heavenly choir singing. She went out on the porch to see just what was going on. Looking up to the ridge, she could see nothing but the singing was getting stronger and louder. The song was In the Garden which she loved and her mother sang often.

All at once, over the hill came a wagon. No, there was two, three, four, five all total. Everyone was coming at the same time. Now lunch could begin. She looked again. There was Henry with her parents. Then, Maggie and Horace were in the wagon with their three kids, John, Wade, and little Gloria. Next in line were Peg and Jim with their son Matt. The next wagon had Mr. and Mrs. Gordon, the elderly couple that Jamie had become close to in the last three years. The last wagon was carrying Mark and John with the dog they had found last month at the river. She waved at all of the wagons and smiled. Pressing the skirt of her dress with her hands, she took a deep breath and prayed a small prayer of thanks. Thanks that everyone had gotten back safely and that she had not gotten hurt when she fell earlier.

As the wagons pulled up she stayed on the porch and watched everyone climb out of them once they were stopped. Of course there was her Mom who was smiling and beautiful in her bright blue traveling suit. Her brown hair was pulled back and tucked into her hat that was different hues of blues to match her suit. Her eyes were dark blue and complexion was like peaches and cream. Surprisingly, she did not look tired at all. Then her Dad turned around after helping her Mom down. He was the most handsome man she had ever known. His tall body was like a statue with muscles bulging out of his clothes. His beautiful blue eyes twinkled with mischief already. She loved the way he looked like a god that she read about in the books she used to read in school.

Her parents were talking to Henry and did not see her at first but once they did, they ran up on the porch and hugged her and smothered her with kisses. Laughing, she finally got loose and greeted everyone and then invited them all into the house.

Soon there was more going on inside then she had realized there would be. The four little kids were running all around. The women were in the kitchen talking and helping to dish up the food. The men were already at the table, ready for their meals and having a great time visiting.

Jamie took the loaf of bread and sliced it and two other loaves. Putting them on a platter, she called everyone to sit down for lunch. Grace was said by Henry and the feast began. She looked around her as the meal progressed. She was so happy and these were the people who meant the most to her in her new life here at Urich. Old memories didn’t seem as precious in this moment as the thought of everyone laughing and having a good time would soon be. This was a good experience to have and to be able to share with everyone here for a lifetime. She would never forget this day.

She took in everything that was going on from Peg and Maggie helping their kids with the food to her dad already teasing Henry at becoming a dad soon. Henry was taking the teasing with grace and patience. He was so patient with everything. Tall like her father, he was strong and quiet in nature. Where her father had a handsome look, Henry’s was more rugged and chiseled. Henry’s muscles were that of a young man and lots of hard work. He was the gentlest man she had ever known. He was the love of her life.

After lunch everyone went outside to sit under the big oak tree in the back yard. The women stayed behind to get the kitchen cleaned up and the food put away. With that done in short order they served the men coffee and went to sit in a group away from the men and their smoking. She watched as the children played hide and go seek. Knowing that in a short time she would be watching her own child doing the same thing. She wondered at the moms as they took everything in stride and even when one of the children fell and scuffed their knees it was handled with patience and love. Could she be that good of a mom when the time came? She had so much to learn. It was a pleasant afternoon out there taking everything in but soon it was time for the families to find their way home for evening chores.

Once everyone had left for home, Henry took her dad to see the farm; Jamie took her mom to see the sleeping quarters that she had finished putting together just that morning. There were the two deep green chairs that sat in the corner with a table between them. On the table was a hand crocheted table cloth with an oil lamp sitting in the middle of the table. Behind the table and chairs was a fireplace whose mantel had been carved from the same tree as her ottoman. There was vase of fresh cut daisies and geraniums from the garden in the middle of the mantle. As she went around the room with her eyes Mindy felt proud of all the beautiful work Jamie had done here. The window was next with nice warm curtains also in a moss green. Then there was the bed in the corner. A big four poster bed with bright white sheets and a multi-green colored quilt on top. In