Harvest Eve part 3

Linda sat in the corner on her small stool, churning. It felt like she had done more churning these last few days than she had in the last 4 months combined. Not that churning was her least favorite activity, it left ones mind free to wander. So Linda let her imagination take flight. The rhythmic sounds of the churn became distant, the heavy numbness in her arms seemed to disappear. She should have known it was too good to last.
“Haven’t you finished that yet?” Thad’s sleepy voice carried from the back. Most people are quite unintelligible when they try to yawn and speak simultaneously. Linda imagined that Thad must have had to learn to overcome that obstacle early in life, for she had rarely seen him do otherwise.

With a sigh of exasperation, Linda paused in her churning and looked inside.

Thad came out from the back and stretched in the doorway, let out a massive yawn and said, “No helping yourself either, I’m watching you.”

Linda stopped and rolled her eyes and looked over at Thad, who was presently attempting to shove an entire small loaf of bread into his mouth. Linda had heard stories of hugely fantastic snakes that swallow entire animals whole, and decided that these stories must be true. Linda sighed again, she did that a lot lately she noticed. She turned back to the churning and thought about large snakes.

The sounds of shuffling steps and deep male voices outside the door became audible. Linda looked up with a smile in her eyes as she watched Thads face. Thad looked up in alarm, his mouth too full of bread to even chew properly and dashed through doorway leading to the back amid sounds of coughing and sputtering.

“I won’t hear another word about it, leave it be Tobias!” Gov. Davis brought his hulking frame through the doorway with his hands pulling his hat down over his ears, trying to dissuade Tobias Miller from pursuing whatever subject the honorable governor was intent on avoiding.

Linda slowed her churning so that she could hear more properly and dropped her head and appeared to gaze forlornly at the floor immediately in front of her. Linda was small for her age, of little consequence, and a constant fixture in the bakery. No one ever noticed her and fewer knew her name, but Linda knew every one of theirs, and a fair sight more.

“But Governor Davis, surely something can be-”Tobias was interrupted by the intercession of Constable Andersons imposing figure.

“I’m sure you will understand that the Governor has had a very busy morning and cannot afford anymore time today, perhaps it would be best to continue this discussion after this evenings events,” the constables words were diplomatic, but there was no mistaking his meaning. Tobias, became very red, very fast. He made a quick bob in place in Gov. Davis direction and Linda could see his jaw was clenched, and then he left with one last frustrated glare over his shoulder.

The Governor peered out from under his hat, and collapsed rather comically in his usual high backed (and suitably reinforced) seat that was reserved for his invariable, daily appearance. Constable Anderson seated himself opposite on the low bench and scanned the room in a hawkish manner. His gaze pausing momentarily on the slow little orphan girl churning butter, and then quickly back to Gov. Davis.

Thad was there (a little red in the cheeks) with a pitcher of water and deposited this mornings baked offerings on the small table to the Governors left, and with exaggerated delicacy, placed the rather-large-to-be-a-butter-dish butter dish on the table to his right.

The Governors troubles were suddenly lost, as the delighted man took his first well-buttered bite and sank into his chair, eyes glazed with contentment. It had been a long morning. What with his eggs being overcooked, Council meeting running long, and that odd Higby boy hanging about in the stable could talk the ears off a mule. Governor Davis didn’t want to use his brain for the next 20 minutes at least.

“Sir, we really need to decide before tomorrow what course of action we will take,” Constable Anderson said flatly.

Gov Davis’ contented glaze focused into a stern glare. “Good sir, kindly remember that we will decide what to do when we are ready. This is a somewhat delicate matter. I simply cannot trot over to those farmers and ask them if they are sacrificing animals and digging up dead people! Tobias is overwrought. He is just frustrated that the immigrant farms are doing as well as they are, and he is behaving like some fool Yorkie.”

“Of course Governor, I only meant that if Tobias isn’t appeased soon, things could become rather…tense along West Cross. The immigrants haven’t caused any trouble yet and they tend to keep to themselves, but Tobias isn’t the only one to have mentioned some of their more peculiar traditions,” Constable Anderson relaxed a little in his seat and held his hands out in front of him apologetically as he spoke.

Linda had stopped churning and as another customer walked in the Constable and Governor stopped their conversation. The Governor finished his bread and left with a nod towards Thad, who in mid conversation with the customer bowed politely. Linda wondered what could be going on in West Cross to make the Governor and Tobias so upset.