Out
of the welter of Christmas plans comes this letter and how I wish I were coming
to you with it or better still that you were coming home. No use to think of
these things though, and I hope and trust you’ll be with friends and be cheered
and happy. – Ina 
Morning came early at the farm. Jack
rose first to stoke the fires. Ina dozed along for a while, waiting for the
kitchen to warm before she arose to dress near the stove. Then she began to
make a hearty farm breakfast of bacon, eggs, oatmeal, and toast, the
tantalizing aroma of which aroused the rest of the family. Ernest appeared
already dressed, but Ethel and Sadie also dressed in the kitchen. Jack worked
outside long enough to allow the womenfolk to dress. Then he was in and out
with various chores. The family ate breakfast as daylight grew stronger. Then Ethel
and Sadie washed and dried the dishes, fed the chickens, and gathered eggs
before Sadie went to school.
Mid-morning, Ina, her sister Bertha,
and Ethel gathered at the little table in the warm kitchen. Ethel opened the
discussion by explaining Miss Johnson’s idea for the school pageant. She then suggested
that the three of them work together to help. I only wish you could hear
members of the Dobson clan in conference. They had deep voices that carried and
no reservations in expressing opinions.
“WELL – I don’t know about this
pageant, Ethel,” Ina began in her best authoritative voice. “It seems like a
large undertaking.”
“Oh, Mama! It’s a make-believe play with
make-believe costumes in a make-believe story. What can go wrong?”
And suddenly the three women were
laughing merrily. Jack, coming in from the barn, sidled past them, poured a cup
of coffee, took a cookie from the jar, and went on to warm himself by the wood
stove in the dining room. They didn’t notice him, and he didn’t interfere in
their mirth. Let them have their fun.
“I’ll help,” said Bertha. “I’ll send
out the request for refreshments and there will be plenty. I’ll also search for
fabric scraps to make the costumes.”
Already things were shaping up. Ina would
help Ethel make the costumes. Ethel had patterns in mind, she said. KW
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