PART 4
Dan was in charge of the wagon, easily slapping the horses to a faster pace with the reins, and enjoying the brisk morning air as it blew his hair back.
“I bet you were listening there by the door all the time, Bess,” Nan laughed.
Bess raised an eyebrow and asked innocently, “Would I do that?”
“Yes,” Dan smirked.
“What about you, Dan? Haven’t you ever eavesdropped?” Bess asked in a pretended haughtiness.
“Who, me? Who would I want to eavesdrop on? Definitely not you!”
Bess shifted uncomfortably but feigned indifference to Dan’s remark. “Anyway, I already knew all about your scheme to buy a coat for Jo, because Nan asked me for money to help out.”
“How much did you give, a penny?” Dan laughed sarcastically.
“No, I gave a dollar,” Bess said, tilting her head in the air.
“I bet ya spend more than that for a piece of candy.”
Bess looked angrily at Dan. “This is supposed to be a happy outing, so if you can’t keep a gentlemanly conversation, I suggest you be silent.”
Dan grinned and would have replied, but the general store was now in front of them, and he slowed the horse down, eventually stopping by the front door.
Dan jumped out of the wagon first and offered a hand to help Bess out of the wagon. She accepted reluctantly. She remembered the time he had helped her into the wagon before the dance, and she couldn’t help smiling now.
Meanwhile, Nat helped Nan from the wagon before she could jump down by herself. She was not used to relying upon anyone, but she awkwardly held onto Nat’s hand as she jumped out the back of the wagon, feeling a slight twinge of excitement at the new experience, though she was hardly willing to admit it to herself.
The store’s windows were gleaming, and the goods that were held behind them were laid out in tempting arrays. The bell jingled over the door when they entered.
“Hello, children,” Mr. Gerson said, smiling their way.
“Hi, Mr. Gerson,” came the semi-unison reply.
“May I help you with something?” Mr. Gerson asked.
Dan shrugged and said, “Nah, we’re just lookin’ for a coat.”
“Well, we just received a shipment, and there are some dandy, warm coats among them.” Mr. Gerson came out from behind the counter and showed them a row of stylish coats of different colors.
Nan ran her hand over the soft, thick material and looked excited. “Yeah, this is perfect!”
“How much?” Nat asked intently.
“Eight dollars.”
“That much?” Dan asked incredulously. “We only have five dollars.”
Bess, who had been looking at the silky dresses from Paris, spoke up hesitantly. “I have another few dollars I can contribute.”
Dan raised his eyebrows in surprise. “Thanks, Bess,” he half-grinned, accepting the money that she held out to him.
“Which color should we get?” Nan asked, amazed at the numerous shades.
“How about blue? Mrs. Jo likes that color,” Nat said.
“Blue it is,” Dan nodded, handing the money to Mr. Gerson.
“We can’t forget the eggs and salt,” Nat reminded.
“Yeah. Thanks,” Dan slapped Nat on the back.
The quartet filed out the door, carrying the bags cheerfully.
Suddenly, a woman clad in green ran in between them; or rather, tried to run in between them, but in her haste she knocked into Dan, who was carrying most of the groceries, and the eggs and salt flew out of the bag, pelting Bess’s dress with egg yolks.
Bess stood in shock, gaping and brushing her skirt in disgust.
The woman stopped and giggled. “Hello, everyone!” She panted and smiled brightly. “Sorry about that, Bess! I’m always so clumsy!” She giggled again.
They faced her, the surprise showing clearly on their faces. There in front of them stood Isabel McGregor!
PART 5
COMING SOON!
