

TO BANBURY CROSS

###

### by

### Sara Loo

###

Copyright 2013 by Sara Loo. All rights

reserved, including the right to reproduce

this book or parts thereof without

written permission by author at

www.saraloo.com.

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated

to Jamie, Gina and Anna

who always encouraged me

to write and to be published.

## CHAPTER ONE

THE BEGINNING

LYLA, DO YOU think Grandmother MacIntyre really misses me?" Tali asked the unimpeachable maid.

"I mean how is it even possible to miss someone you never met?"

The practical servant lifted her head. But the girl full up with words, hurried on.

"Papa said it's because I'm the first girl to come into the family since their Emily drowned off the harbor in Charlottetown one week before her sixteenth birthday. Papa said the boat flipped and it was up to him to save Emily's best friend Patricia Ellen, who couldn't swim a wink. And the water was catastrophically cold Mammy.

"Lovey pass that rolling pin over there. We havin' two pies tonight."

"Here you go. But listen to what I'm saying. It was such a struggle to get the girl ashore. Papa didn't even know how he made it all the way, and when he turned back to comfort Emily that Patricia Ellen was going to be all right, Emily had disappeared beneath the waves. Do you think Papa regretted helping his sister's best friend seeing how things turned out? I know I would. But Papa was so good, it probably never occurred to him."

There warn't nobody like your Papa. Everybody knows that," the servant moaned.

Tali whispered a reverent, "I know" then paused to show her respect for the afflicted way her surrogate mother chose to deal with their loss. For the girl there was no choice. No choice at all. To keep Papa alive in mind and heart was the only way she knew to go forward.

"Papa said the sea can be perfectly calm one minute and a raging witch the next," she touted, not missing a beat. "I've never seen the ocean Lyla. But it must be the most thrilling experience even if it did cost such a dear family member."

Lyla knew the story of Papa's Emily backwards and forwards. But

she also knew her girl. Something in her charge needed pulling out all these stories one by one examining them much like she would pull out her varied needlework to see if the stitches lined up and the colors were looking good.

"Well one thing sure, before you go sailin' around to your grandmamma, you better climb on up into a big ole dress. That woman guts no idea you ain't never wored a dress, never mind the two hundred and seventy-nine she done sent you. Hmph!"

"I'd rather be wearing a fig leaf! The day you sing at the Metropolitan is the day I wear a dress. Agreed?"

"Well I heared your grandmamma is a right proper woman. That tells me she gots a whoooole lot of dresses up in her closets. Hmph!"

"I'm not wearing no dress, and I'm not changing one thing about me."

"Hmph!" Hmph, was Lyla's spoken period.

The woman wiped her whaling lips then reached up and adjusted her bandana, an old colored bandana that acted like the woman's rudder. Tali MacIntyre had no rudder.

Just now, an elephant's trunk wriggled its way through an open window. The older woman let go a caterwaul that could savage even those ginormous elephant ears.

"A body ain't safe livin' in his own kitchen," she railed.

The girl got hold of the massive trunk at the same time a colorful bird began squawking its head off. Tali troubled the beast into retreat then fled.

"There she goes the mad butterfly," Lyla roared.

Despite her huffing and puffing, one could see that the woman's affections were bound up with the girl whether she was off gamboling with the lion cub or reading one of her ten thousand books.

Why, she can read those stories, until the cows come home. Knows every creature and every word in all those classics she's collected since the dawn of creation.

And just how she could take on all those characters in all those books she read never ceased to amaze the woman; and the transformation was so thorough that at times it was rakish, at times hilarious, and on occasion, while not being admitted, wildly frightening, as when she unwrapped King Henry the Eighth all over Lyla's kitchen. It seems there were so many heads rolling around it possessed the woman straight on into night; and you could not scare, dare nor in any otherwise redirect her path. How was that going to go over up in Canada?

***Out in the barn***

"Mr. Bogdanovich you must pick a mate as soon as you arrive in the bush. She'll know how to keep you safe."

The monkey pulled at his waistcoat. Tali unfastened the buttons. The animal looked on curiously.

"I know. You can't understand now. But you'll all be grateful tomorrow not to be sticking out in the crowd."

She suddenly bit her lip. Goodbye had snuck up on her and punched her right in the gut. She felt her face muscles twist up like a pretzel.

"Ew! I'd a thought we'd all be getting old together. Right mates? Lord knows best. We got to believe that don't we?"

That's the thing about books she thought. Stories let you see how other people stood up to danger, disaster, defeat. Even goodbye. And if ever she needed a story it was now. The clock of doom was running down.

It was a story, after all, that had gotten her through when Papa died. Ironically, it was the story he told her had gotten him through when his sister died and later when he'd lost her mother. It was the story of a king who was faced with the imminent death of an infant son. The king fasts and prays that the son will live. Meanwhile, the king's anguish has the palace in a frenzy. What will become of the king if the baby dies?

When the unthinkable unfolds, the palace shudders. To everyone's surprise, the king throws off his sackcloth. He returns to the land of the living. When questioned, he tells them, "As long as the baby lived I sought for his life with tears and supplication. But when he was dead I understood that the child cannot come to me-- but one day, I will go to the child."

For reasons not revealed to the girl, remembering this story was as if Papa was right there encouraging her. Papa, the constant in her life; she measured everything against Papa. And who could surpass his measure? She trusted Papa; she'd follow him blindfolded.

Well, just not in a dress!

These faithful playmates adored her. She'd kept a visceral bond with the several lion cubs Papa brought home. Zamba, was her all-time favorite. But surprisingly, it would be Bangles who would pull at her heart until the day she died. Elephants are most like humans Papa would say. They suffer the same emotional ties and react to life like we do.

She remembered how difficult it was to keep him alive as a baby elephant. He'd been rejected by the herd; was literally starving when they found him, wounded and severely depressed. The wounds could be treated Papa said. But the depression was the killer. Like some flesh-eating bacteria it was eating

the baby calf right up. They tried everything. Nothing worked. Papa worked round the clock. But it seemed hopeless. Everything was against him. N' then he got Ghani involved. Putting the dog in the mix, changed everything. The calf came back to life. He responded to the canine. Before long they were playing together. Turns out the baby elephant had a mischievous streak, a sizeable one if truth be told; and when he needed to be punished for being naughty and destroying things, he would run and stand underneath the blankets strung up between two trees on a clothesline. Papa said for him it was like standing underneath a mother elephant out in the wild.

Thankfully, Papa always insisted Bangles be brought back to spend time with the herds even though he'd never stay and always found his way home. Papa said the day might come it would save his life. Now the day only Papa had foreseen was upon them. Tali brought Ghani out to the barn telling him to say good-bye to his friend. Telling him to make it count. Later she would recall how she forgot to tell herself.

When daylight came, the newly installed manager rose up and took the cat. The wind outside was blowing through the tall grasses untangling the treetops and whistling to itself. Lyla stumbled out of bed at 5:00 A.M. Before long the simmering, sultry lady had commandeered the biggest kettle on center stove and had it whistling merrily along to a beloved aria. Captain Blood began rocking back and forth. Nothing was worthy of the bird's attention at this obscene hour; neither could he quite wrap himself around the distinct puzzlement that posed itself when she began her flawless singing; the facts of the matter lay in the woman's novel upbringing.

Delilah Joyce Browning's voice was discovered at the Albright Orphanage in Halifax, Nova Scotia. A great benefactress engaged a master to school the girl. Thus, from the age of twelve until the maestro's death, gawky Lyla Browning learned the famous arias complete with faultless diction, a feat that stayed with her. However, her every day speech soon went the way of the master.

Tali came to breakfast just in time to see the last of the animals being boarded onto long trucks. Lyla brooded for the girl despite her aversion to trunks and tails. Even Captain Blood kept himself subdued in the face of grief. At 9:15 AM a knock came at the door.

"Glory Hallelujah! If'n it ain't the good doctah!

Lyla pinched her massive cheeks and pulled up her checkered apron to throw a polish on that big gold tooth that sat at the front of her mouth. She'd been doing it ever since he'd called her the gold tooth of the estate. He always showed up with an armload of books. Admittedly, it was the wife, who promoted the books, since Margaret Mary MacIntyre was the children's favorite author. Perhaps the apple would not fall far from the MacIntyre tree one day. All the MacIntyres knew was that Doctor Ben was as comforting as a box of vanilla ice cream.

Just now Captain Blood opened one sleepy eye to see his benefactor and friend. Seems an old sea captain who could no longer keep the three-year-old rascal surrendered him to the doctor who delivered him to the MacIntyre household.

At the usual insistence, doctor and Captain headed off in the direction of the grand living room passing an oasis of large leafy ferns. Before long, the favored guest would work his way out onto the veranda, and to be sure, when his favorite drink appeared he reached for it out of a big white pouch.

Captain Blood quietly perched on one of the big hammock rings mindlessly gawking and gazing. The man began whistling Old Man River. When he got to the part, 'Get a little drunk and you land in' ___the Captain took over screeching,

'In jail, you drunken land lubber!' Squawk! Squawk! The doctor roared heartily, but Lyla was of a mind to rip out his feathers. She gave the bird an exasperating look, which only served to encourage the jester to primp and preen himself the more. Ignoring the bird, she began her inquiries.

"How be all the Lounsbouns Doctah dear? How be Eshtah and the chil'in?"

Suppressing a chuckle, he shot back, "The family is thriving my good woman! Tell me the news on this end."

Lyla served up the latest happenings out in the bush while avoiding the painful subject of the lion cub. When she was called back into the kitchen, the man, seeing that Tali was thoroughly engrossed in the swamp of books, picked up the Nairobi Sentinel. The news was grim. His own England was threatening involvement in fighting the menace that Germany had become due to the takeover of one Adolf Hitler. Wrapped-up in his practice he was hearing the news in bits and pieces. Austria had been taken and then the Sudetenland from Czechoslovakia. The egregious huckster claimed he would have all the Germanic peoples unite. Some were saying Poland might be next. He pondered the ominous future for the world, indeed for his own people. It nettled him to think that evil might triumph. He set aside the reading.

"Tali, tell me how you're holding up."

The girl pulled away from her book.

"Doctor Ben it's not worth talking about. Zamba went back into the wild today."

"I say! That must be disheartening. Well Popsy, I cannot restore the inveterate zoo, but I do have good news. You won't be traveling alone. Me and my family-seven boys mind you- will accompany you. We sail on a ship leaving Mombasa in four days. Tomorrow following surgery, I'll come collect you and Lyla. The family is pining to meeting you. Two days following we fly to Mombasa. I know you thought you had more than two weeks," he said apologizing. "But your grandmother is ready to bust."

Tali was speechless. She dreaded having to leave Doctor Ben. He was the family's closest friend as far back as she could remember, and when she was little was the only one who could come down into her world. What had he said? They would leave in four days? What did it matter? The baby cub was gone. Bangles was gone.

On the other hand, there were some murky issues she'd been thinking about. Questions she'd asked herself of late that went unanswered.

"Doctor Ben, how does a person hold onto his identity? I mean it doesn't come off like clothes does it?'

The man was taken aback. Such a profound question from someone so young. He considered his response.

"No Tali. A man remains who he is deep down, even when the world he lives in turns upside down. Why do you ask?"

"Oh, it's nothing. Maybe I'm a little worried with how Zamba will get on."

"I know it feels like Armageddon Tali. But a whole new world is opening up to the lion cub. A new world is opening up to you too," he managed.

She stretched her legs out on the lounge chair.

"Doctor Ben let me ask it this way. Who in their right mind travels half way around the world to become somebody he doesn't want to be?" She glanced over at her friend quickly adding, "You don't have to answer. But can you see how the best made plans of mice and men might come crashing down on a person's head?"

She always came up with the tough questions. He put his elbows on the armrests and brought his hands to his lips. Then Lyla reappeared, and the mood altered. Several minutes later walking to the door Dr. Lanzbaum turned to the girl.

"The best person one can be in life is himself, Tali. Most people take a lifetime figuring that out. Just think how far ahead you're going to be having acquired that wisdom so early."

He squeezed her hand. They exchanged warm smiles. You could always count on Doctor Ben. Nearly always. She smiled remembering the time he overheard a little English Lady exclaiming, "Why that face was as lovely as the finest English tea cup." A clear reference to her mother. Somehow the whole idea of it got transferred in his mind to Tali. Papa never agreed. Said he didn't know what he was talking about because he'd never met Papa's Emily.

At the door, Lyla kept promising the good doctor they would be all packed and waiting when he returned.

"You know I loved that Mastah Andrew, Doctah Dear. Like he wuz the earth axis. But he gone. God rest his soul. He gone! Lordy Lord! Ize ready!"

Smiling, Benjamin Lanzbaum made his goodbyes. The parrot passed from shoulder to shoulder. As he drove away in his yellow convertible, Tali waved him away ceremonially. Then something blew up in her face. Seven boys?

## CHAPTER TWO

THE JOURNEY

The big, yellow house sat at the front of a large square lot. Its speckless features spoke of a doctor's residence. In stark contrast, the rear of the edifice was taken over by an armed camp. Trees became outposts with cavalry approaching and retreating at the end of every school day. Just now a soft breeze tickled the air. Young lackadaisical David stood at attention while the strict sergeant at arms yelled out orders from behind an overturned vegetable crate a.k.a. lemonade stand.

"David, look at the bright side. We need money. People need lemonade. We present father with a fishing box on his birthday. Everybody wins," Daniel said.

David bit down on his lower lip. Suddenly two shy lambs entered the backyard, thick black curls covering their heads.

"Mattai! Moshe! Daniel needs your help selling lemonade," David shouted.

The shy twins headed straight for the tree fort. Even Daniel had not yet found a way to harness their introverted natures. Could anyone help him? The older brothers were running errands for Shabbat and they wouldn't help him anyway. He was stuck.

Inside the great house, Esther Lanzbaum looked forward to the day of rest. A postcard sat on the table from her sister in Brookline, Massachusetts. From America! "My dear Esther, wish you were here. You'd love Boston!"

It tickled her to think that circumstances over which they had no control were magically whisking them far and away into the arms of much loved family. They would soon see Canada and the Americas.

At sundown, Esther adjusted a whispery veil that murmured secrets as she stepped forward, lit the candles and said the prayer that would begin the Shabbat. Father Lanzbaum prayed over the Kiddush cup. A ceremonial washing of hands brought a moment of silence that lasted through the blessing over the Challah, the Jewish bread. Sprinkling the loaf liberally with salt, Benjamin Lanzbaum ripped out a piece for himself; then ripped out another and another and another, tossing them around until everyone had his own piece of tradition including young, Tali and her wide-eyed companion.

Immediately, the quiet, dissolved into caroling laughter. Beaming faces shone underneath a tyrannous chandelier. Father Lanzbaum tapped his glass.

"Esther, children, I'm pleased to introduce the family of our dear departed friend, Andrew MacIntyre. Esther, children, this is Mr. MacIntyre's daughter, Tali.

Smiles and greetings went round the table. Tali's face became scarlet. The good doctor struck his glass again.

"Esther, children, may I present my dear friend Lyla Browning." Smiles followed again only this time the biggest smile being the one with the gold tooth sparkling brilliantly.

All this was fine and good but what did it matter to thirteen-year-old Yaron who was concerned with making his own way through life and was now questioning if this sudden move would mean he'd never get to go on a real safari like his older brothers before him.

"Son, the day will come the safari will find you. Tell me, have you been studying your Hebrew? We are still intent on seeing your bar mitzvah unfold. I know you'll want to make your mother proud."

"I'll make you both proud Abba," the boy said. Esther Lanzbaum smiled. Tali could feel the warmth of that matriarchal smile extending in her direction.

For the better part of the evening, the father kept them entertained. Even Esther's serious facade would on occasion crumble into smiling ruins. Just now, he was telling the story of three religious blokes who were stranded on a desert island. They've run out of food and are down to this last strip of baloney. To keep things on the lite side they come up with a contest; whoever can come up with the most compelling dream will be awarded the last of the baloney. The bet is on. In the morning, the priest informs his two opponents that he dreamed he'd sold all the church treasuries giving all the proceeds to the poor. Certainly, he deserves the baloney. The minister informs that in his dream his untiring efforts win him the Servant of the Year Award seven times. Surely, he is entitled to the baloney. Now the Rebbe steps forward. He warily eyes the two do-gooders. Then, dropping his gaze he states demurely, "Gentlemen, I dreamed you both died and went to heaven, so I got up_ and I ate the baloney!"

Ah! Ha hah! The level of laughter increased with every story.

By 1:35 A.M., all was quiet save for Esther Lanzbaum's gentle snoring. Her perfumed scent lingered in the air, while the moonlight, now a bowl of yellow spaghetti, was tossed inside the window, and strewn across the floor, and up and down the walls. Overhead the clock breathed in rhythmic tic-tic tocks. Lanzbaum lay awake. He tossed and turned then lay upon his back.

Suddenly he could see a snippet of a little girl badgering a young owlet out of its nest. The fledgling's internal armor ratcheted up. Its yellow eyes widened as the little imp screamed, "Jump! Nobody ever fell off the moon!"

At three years old, she was fearless. Now despite everything, he felt nothing'd changed.

Now the memory of the girl's father in those final days came back to him, and there was Lyla reminding him that his tomboy was busting out like a big June flower and what was going to happen if she had no chance of becoming a real woman because they were stuck out here in the wild. Just about had the guy packed and ready to go home to Canada.

Suddenly it occurred to him that by bringing her to Canada, he'd be taking the father's place. It was a humbling thought, but it was as powerful a feeling as turning the corner in a hopeless surgery and by the grace of God coming out on top. He felt like a David having the anointing oil pouring down upon him. It occurred to him he'd been making these opaque decisions not seeing that perhaps a greater Architect already had it all laid out. All he knew was Andrew MacIntyre would be proud. That was enough for him. Being a systematic guy, his mind ran to details. Number one: the canine had received all his shots. Number two: Captain Blood. The Captain was another matter. A serious matter.

I'll let him keep the boys occupied on the lower desk. Esther will enjoy getting to know Tali and Lyla on the upper deck, and I'll find some private spot to sort out our future. Maybe I can get a handle on what's happening in Europe. There must be travelers who are more informed than we are. That's a given.

## CHAPTER THREE

ARRIVAL

GORDON MACINTYRE HAD found his way to the kitchen where a big iron stove sat like a sovereign reigning over copper kettles and shiny pots and pans. The wall lamp revealed a bantam man. A thick mop of snow-white hair topped his head while a short, well-sculpted beard framed a florid complexion, that same one that in times past had become downright plague some to both nose and cheeks. That was in his heyday, when he was out racing horses and betting his life away on his championship stallion. When victory'd cross the line, he'd celebrate shamelessly at the Charlottetown Pub. Then he'd go and invent some outlandish story to get himself past the little woman of the manse and up into his feather-tick bed before discovery would set in. These days he was of a more temperate disposition. Banbury Cross had set that in motion. Banbury Cross and untoward circumstances had brought about his sobriety, changed his occupation from horse trader to lighthouse keeper, in short, reformed him.

He looked across the room to his goodly wife of fifty-three years. There was no getting around it, he worshiped the ground she walked on. Burdena carried herself with simple, unhurried ease, yet her penchant for hard work had made her name well noted on the island.

Long before daybreak, the old couple had taken over the great kitchen, brewing coffee, making lists and fretting feverishly over their beloved granddaughter. It was to be a bittersweet encounter, they supposed, for they had loved the girl's father so. Andrew MacIntyre had been their only son, and after the tragedy their only child.

How they grieved when that fateful day crashed down on them like a pile of rocks. Emily, the great wave of joy in their lives, was taken when a million waves came up out of the sea and swallowed her. Fate came around wanting to take the second since the island and this great sorrow were past bearing for the boy; and when he went away to university and came home on break, they knew the day would come they'd have to let him go. That day came and went that they let him go, and then the years both came and went, with them home alone, waiting and longing to see him again.

Just now as the sun was coming up out of the East, Tali was making her way down the wide circular stairs in search of the grandparents.

Lord, make me be the best me I can be!

Papa's Ghani was running in and out of her heels taking to the girl as though obedience would rejoin him to his master. Entering a maze of rooms, the girl found her way to the kitchen.

"Grandmother MacIntyre? It's me Tali!" she announced.

Burdena looked up from her occupation. Whoa! The woman's eyes popped. It was one thing seeing the resemblance to their daughter from the pictures they'd received of the granddaughter; but seeing the girl in the immediacy of her flesh was another matter entirely. She grabbed hold of her apron,

"Oh! It's up from the grave you've come."

"Grandmother MacIntyre, what is it?

Gordon MacIntyre felt like a runaway horse had charged into the kitchen. Trying to take hold of the situation he stammered, "Aye now! It seems like it's a hundred years we've been waiting to lay eyes on our own grand baby, and now it becomes just too much for these two old folks! Besides, you're prettier than your pictures. Ain't that right Luv?"

"Tali! You...you... blessed... girl! Why you are prettier than your pictures," the woman said.

"Aye, Lass! We weren't expecting you until tomorrow. Your grandmother and me retire early, I'm afraid. But the hired help showed you to your room and gave you everything you needed?" Grandfather asked.

Tali smiled and shook her head. So, this was her father's beginnings, his mother, his father. Her eyes filled up with their presence. It was a strange feeling meeting the most important people in her father's life, and now hers. She could only stare. Burdena made the effort to confront the reason for her coming to the island.

"Tali, we were so sorry to hear of your father's passing. We could hardly believe it at first. We didn't want to believe it, did we Gordon?" As though not expecting an answer she hurried on. "The wonderful doctor kept us informed with how you were keeping. We know it was a terrible time for you."

Tali bit down on her lip and an involuntary sigh escaped heavy as a brick. Burdena hastened to remediate her words.

"Is the room to your liking Tali?"

The girl regained her rhythm.

"Grandmother, any room that looks out over the sea is a grand room! Speaking of grand, I've brought along a very special fellow."

"Well, as long as you've brought along a good appetite, everything else will fall into place. That's my philosophy," she added distractedly as she moved a kettle off the fire. A spicy aroma filled the room from the cinnamon and orange peels the woman had thrown directly onto the stovetop. Moving closer to her grandfather, Tali whispered,

"Grandfather, I've brought along the Captain!"

"The Captain?"

"Sh! Yes, Captain Blood! Shall I fetch him?" Tali asked.

Somehow, in these few minutes something informed the girl that the Captain and her grandmother might not manage well together. She would hand the parrot over to the grandfather. To that end, she was up and out of the kitchen. Gordon looked across the room to his wife.

"I know what you're feeling little woman. I could hardly believe it me-self. I've not seen a more striking resemblance of one human to another since they invented ee-dentical twins! She's Emmy all over again. Heaven help me! I'd never be able to pick them apart."

He began pacing back and forth across the room. Several moments passed in silence. It had been difficult in keeping up the conversation when clearly all they could see was Emily. It tapped all their resources.

"Sort of gives the heart a little jump-start Gordon MacIntyre!"

The man mused for a moment. He had a way of stopping in the middle of a conversation and going back in time and making you feel you were right there with him.

"Aye, like seeing me mother's face when I was a tot and we give her that little music box and her knowing there was no money to be had in half the county, and still we scrimped and saved till we got the thing!" he said.

"Well Gordon MacIntyre. It appears heaven has sent us our own little music box!" Burdena said.

The muscles around her mouth tightened at the same time the husband was mopping his brow and clearing his throat.

"Say Luv! The thought just come to me that perhaps it'd do us to be giving the girl Emmy's room. Now that she's upon us... it seems...well... it seems like she belongs there! I know you've had it locked up all these years but..."

"Gordon MacIntyre when are you ever going to accept that I'm always ten steps ahead of you when it comes to the running of Banbury Cross; if you learned nothing else, one would think you'd have learned that! And if you hadn't kept yourself away from the upstairs these last twenty-five years, you'd know I've had the Talbot girl from over in Long Creek come over and redo the room."

The man was flummoxed. Dumbfounded. Were these words really pouring out of his wife's mouth? He could hardly take it in. It put his brain in a fog.

"Where in tarnation went the Lass? he muttered distractedly.

It wasn't long until the dining room started filling up. The Lanzbaum boys nearly devoured Mrs. MacIntyre's mile wide breakfast. That brought on the smile of delight until the woman discovered the chummy acquaintance that her husband and the Captain were making. There went delight speedily out the window. A stormy silence ensued. But Gordon seemed oblivious to the matter for the bird had alighted on the old man's shoulder. Perhaps the bird had received an inkling that he would be an unwelcome guest hanging around Banbury Cross, or perhaps it was the smell of the sea on the old man's clothes. Gordon would only believe that the bird had found himself some true camaraderie, something and someone to spice up his life!

Outside on a long, flat wagon sat forty-nine trunks piled up to the sky. Esther's treasures! Looking out past Burdena's window treatment, the husband was making a candid assessment. It was clear to the man that the trunks could not be brought inside, for although the house was big by anyone's standard, they would have to be relegated to the loft up in the barn. He offered to put them up with the lift just as soon as their owner would be removing whatever'd be needed for use in the house.

"Never can tell about rain Luv, so when I come home before sunset will be as good a time as any Aye reckon."

Burdena finally shooed him off with the boys not knowing that Tali would have a hankering to be going off with the men. But she accepted the girl's desire to go as a desire she might have to experience something new. Besides, it would give her time to change the place settings for the new batch of guests.

At last, the woman set about making her changes. The new place settings sparkled triumphantly. As she gazed about, the day sparkled brighter, the evergreens were greener, furrier than she had ever known them. A dreamy haze wrapped itself around the woman. Outside billowy clouds swirled about. Burdena was entranced. Was that someone coming up the drive?

"Emily? Emily!"

She threw up the window then stuck her head out. Emily stepped over onto the lawn coming directly to the mother.

"Oh Mother, isn't it grand? Daddy is so proud of me. Bringing home, the prize for the Grand Nationals surpasses all our dreams! Are you as happy as we are Mother?"

Meeting her granddaughter had resurrected Emily. Her heart melted like a popsicle falling onto a blazing sidewalk. In the meantime, Benjamin Lanzbaum and his wife, and Lyla had come alongside the innkeeper without warning. Seeing that a conversation was ensuing they fell silent. Clearly, the woman was addressing someone. Trouble was, there was no one about.

"Mrs. MacIntyre? Benjamin Lanzbaum called out taking the situation in hand."

Startled, the woman pulled her head back inside the room. The gauzy dream floated away as she found herself the subject of seeming concern.

"Ahh-er yes I'm Burdena. Burdena MacIntyre. Burdena! Just call me Burdena."

"Benjamin Lanzbaum. And this is my wife Esther," the man said.

Esther smiled. "I am pleased to meet you Burdena. My husband tells me you're agreeable to keeping the inn kosher for our family. I can't tell you what this means to us," the woman said.

Burdena's head was ringing and what was that word she'd said? But the elated woman seemed not to notice her lack of understanding. Burdena quickly bid the guests take their seats in front of the panoramic window facing the Northumberland Strait. One of the hired girls appeared. Burdena signaled to the girl to begin serving the little party. Then she turned her sights on the good doctor.

"Doctor Lanzbaum, my husband and I owe you a debt of gratitude for bringing our granddaughter safely to the island. We welcome the entire family and that includes you, Lyla dear," Burdena said.

Benjamin Lanzbaum warmed her with his wonderful smile. Ghani sat in the doorway, a little more out of the room than he was in, being a bit dubious as to his welcome. A gentle whimper came floating across the room; swiftly the master's friend came to his rescue.

"Mrs. MacIntyre. Ah! Burdena! May I introduce you to Tali's bodyguard these past seven years? A very faithful fellow," promoted the doctor.

Burdena eyed the dog then eyed the doctor. Household pets had never gained a foothold at Banbury Cross, save Dandelion. Altogether independent and prudently obscure, Dandelion would rather sit outside all day swinging on the Bed & Breakfast sign and then retire to the porch at night, at least in summer; and as for catching mice and keeping the inn in a good reputation, Dandelion had no equal. One certainly could not count on a dog in these matters. She eyed the dog once again. It was clear to the woman that a request was being made. Well, the canine was a beauty; and hadn't the doctor been quick to point out that he'd protected her granddaughter these past seven years? Much could be said for that. Well then, let this be the deciding point; however, as it was not Burdena's manner to promote a matter she inherently opposed, a labored nod and feeble smile had the doctor summoning the Afghan. Ghani swished his way across the floor with a hundred silky mops dancing back and forth in and out of his elegant carriage. He bowed before Dr. Lanzbaum then disappeared under the table. Both Lyla and the good doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

After awhile Lanzbaum excused himself. What this woman was undertaking was no small matter. Recognition was in order. Within the hour, an impressive floral arrived. Burdena was a surprised woman and to surprise was added confusion when the doctor resumed speaking about a kosher kitchen. Well, what with her mind going in a hundred directions, it must be some strange way of expressing oneself. Of course. After all, they were not simply from different countries, the woman reminded herself; they were from different continents. Surely there would be differences. With a few beginning recipes she would add perhaps a dozen more. This very minute, her errant thoughts were puzzling out how she might provide a distraction, yes, if only she could ring up that Marilyn Tedesco, an acquaintance on the North side of the island, she might get hold of some Jewish recipes. Burdena had been meaning to call the woman ever since the doctor called to ask if she were able to help them keep their Jewish traditions, and did she know about them? Gads she had lied, but pride, and that notion that she had a reputation to maintain, had caused her to fudge about the matter. She knew a lot about most ethnic dishes, and a little about many more. Why should she fret just because she had no Jewish recipes? She would correct the matter this very day and no one would be the wiser. She heard herself saying,

"Why Dr. Lanzbaum do take the ladies out for a drive. Gordon has left the old Ford gassed up and ready. It's going to be a beautiful day. You might stop in Charlottetown and take your lunch following a visit to the museum. I'll take care of the youngins. It's a glorious day for the beach."

Soon the old gray Ford was sputtering and threatening disaster. Stoically Burdena continued to encourage the little party. Ghani sat erect in the back seat waiting for the windows to be rolled down. When the little party took off billowy clouds were bouncing about in the sky just as the old car bounced out of the driveway.

## CHAPTER FOUR

DOWN TO THE SEA

WHEN THE SEVEN boys and Tali returned to the inn and discovered they could go swimming, it was difficult to keep them back while the staff prepared a sufficient lunch. It appeared that no one had a proper bathing suit. Never mind. They'd go down to the sea in pants and roll them up at the water's edge. Tali intended doing the same until Grandmother intervened. Smiling and proud, she spread out six bathing suits in six assorted colors on a long table. Tali eyed the frocks then quickly eyed her grandmother. Burdena hid her impatience thinking the burden of choice was overwhelming the girl. Lyla knew better. It seemed her eyes might bore a hole in the fabric.

"Girl, I know you think they radioactive. But you gonna be the one radioactive if you don't put on one of these here frock. An' you knows you wants to get down to the sea," Lyla whispered at a safe distance from the innkeeper.

The words 'down to the sea' got the girl's attention. She reached out and grabbed the flaming red suit then disappeared.

Cornwall Cove had a dandy beach and the boys beat a path to the shoreline, rolled up their pants then dove in the water in seconds. Tali dawdled along behind kicking the red clay road chiding herself for having been mothballed into submission. What was happening to her? Why didn't she make it plain she wasn't wearing this girly getup?

Suddenly a news bulletin interrupted her thoughts. Whoa! How could she have forgotten the dream she'd last night? She stood face to face with a wild stallion. The horse was in a frightful state. It seemed so real.

I must be missing the old souls even in my sleep, she thought.

This new world was a lot to take in. Stubbing her toe, jolted her. She looked up.

Oh! There it is! Big and blue and beautiful!

She breathed in the salty air then breathed it in again. The sight and smell of the sea took her breath away. Peeking out of Grandfather's lighthouse windows had been constraining, and riding upon the ocean's back day after day was monotonous. But this view was just right. Approaching the velvet sand her feet sank ankle deep as she began making her way through the maze of colorful umbrellas. She watched the boys climbing up onto the jetty and diving back into the water then repeating it again, and again. The sky was teaming with seagulls.

Surely, this is the proper way to apprehend the sea. A man must come down to the gatekeeper of the sea, humbly slip off his shoes and lie himself down upon this great white blanket to countenance omnipotence.

Carefully, she laid out her towel, slipped off her shoes and tiptoed down to the water's edge. The water was delicious, As Tali fell back into the sea, Father's words echoed in her ears.

"The island is so beautiful that the Gulf Stream actually turns around to take a second look. And that is the reason that the water is warmer up on Prince Edward Island than at any place north of the Carolinas down in the States."

By the time she climbed out of the water her skin had wrinkled and the sun was a scorching mess, but all Tali could feel was the comfort of being on Papa's island.

Back at the inn, Burdena rang up her friend. Lovely woman, this Tedesco woman.

"Oh hello, Burdena! Yes, Burdena MacIntyre from the Fair."

"Marilyn, dear! I'm calling because I'm interested to hear if you know anything about Jewish cooking, and if you might by chance have any recipes with something called kosher in it?" the woman said.

"Jewish cooking? Well I know...let me see. Well now, there's something about pigs--and kugel. I think that's the word."

"Pigs did you say Marilyn? And?"

"Kugel, dear."

"I see. What is that dear?"

"Can't say as I really know Burdena and can't say as I have any Jewish recipes either," said the distant acquaintance.

"Well all right then. I guess I have something to go on my friend. I'll be seeing you Marilyn. You have a good day now. Good bye."

"Good bye Burdena."

At 4:00 P.M. on that last day in July, everyone returned to the inn tired and happy. Tali perched on a stool. Grandmother removed her apron.

"How did you get on at the beach Tali? Was the water warm enough?"

"The water was like heaven. You never want to come out until your skin wrinkles. A little boy found a starfish Grandmother. I'd only ever seen one in a book. He'd never seen one. Guess what he wanted to know. Did the starfish fall out of the sky?"

"Hmh. You don't say?" the woman remarked distractedly.

Tali smiled. There was something magical about it. But seeing the grandmother visibly disengaged, she straightened her posture. Something informed her,

The woman lacks imagination. Poor Grandmother! Poor wretch!

As for the unimpassioned woman, she could see that Tali's interests lacked a feminine outlook. She would take the matter up with Gordon and Lyla as soon as she had time to spare. The boys meanwhile had made an all-out discovery. The biggest tree they'd ever seen lived at Banbury Cross right out in front of the big barn. A meeting was underway to reckon how they would obtain permission to build a fort in this divinely ordained tree. Ghani was sleeping tired out as he was from his open window ride. Gordon was pulling into the driveway on the tractor with you know who. A decision had been made that, while at the house, the star boarder would have his cage retired to the porch. Even the Captain was of the opinion that Burdena was a hard bargainer and that his only hope lay out on that miserable porch. At five minutes to five, everything was prepared. Burdena MacIntyre was ready to serve her guests.

"Tali be a love dear and ring the dinner bell. It's on the dining room table; and don't be afraid to ring it with a heavy hand," she said coaching the girl.

It didn't take long for a crowd to gather. Soon other inn guests showed up with appetites of their own. Dr. Lanzbaum gave the Baruchah. Burdena served up a first course of thick vegetable soup accompanied by baskets of homemade bread. Butter straight from the cows sat in their dishes and when commanded, melted into the tasty bread. In due time, the main course began arriving. Lyla, now back in her aprons brought out the vegetables wearing a decidedly Chessie grin. Tali acknowledged her triumph with a lick and a wink. The boys brought impeccable manners to table having put all thought of mischief into their back pockets. When Lyla finished serving the corn and potatoes, right on her heels came Burdena holding up a large platter, its contents festively arrayed with trimmings of spices and fruit. Standing near to the entryway she proudly announced,

"Now for the pig!"

Nine pairs of eyes grew to nearly four times their size. Nine mouths were left gaping. But it was Esther who stood up suddenly, and just as though she'd been shot, turned towards her executioner then fell into a dead faint. Dr. Lanzbaum was flattened, but he quickly grabbed hold of the wife while plunging a napkin into a glass of cold water in an effort to revive her. Meanwhile the perpetrator retreated to her kitchen garrison.

Benjamin Lanzbaum instructed his boys to begin eating. Only worried eyes spoke. In quiet dignity, the doctor picked up his rag doll and whisked her up the grand staircase sprinting down the long hallway to their room with the tall oak bed.

Burdena was on the verge of tears when Lyla appeared in the kitchen.

"Don't you be frettin'! When this be over, the doctor be laughing 'bout this fer weeks. I knows him Ma'am," Lyla said.

Practical Burdena cared little about laughter.

"It makes no sense to be basting a burnt duck in humor when my reputation is at stake," she cried.

Was this some cruel joke? What had gone wrong?

# CHAPTER FIVE

TALI REMEMBERS PAPA

THE FOLLOWING MORNING having escaped all the turmoil back at the inn over the pig, the younger set went straight for the shoreline. They all sat facing the imposing strait. It seemed that the peace of the entire world hung on the edge of that cliff.

Sheepishly Mattai said, "I like it here. Don't you Moshe?"

"I do Mattai! Zev, do you like it here?

"Course I do," he replied.

A gentle August breeze curled around the boy's head reminding him he no longer had to endure the awful heat that was Kenya months and months out of the year.

"Well I say it's great because Mr. MacIntyre says we can build a fort in that Jack and The Beanstalk Tree in front of the big barn,'' clamored David.

Before any of the others could inquire into this newsworthy item, Tali injected, "You know, I miss my old life. I had a zebra, a giraffe, a gazelle, two llamas, two monkeys, a baby lion, plus Bangles!"

Together the boys cried, "Who's Bangles?"

"Bangles was my very own elephant," Tali said, remembering her faithful friends.

Only their Torah kept them from shouting the biggest 'You did not!' that was ever uttered by cantankerous childhood; to their credit, Father Lanzbaum had kept these colorful details to himself lest he be willing to abide the sons' pleadings for their own good measure of pets.

Some of the boys were captured by the thought of this zoo, but Tali felt mistrust for her words. Lyla and Papa had always believed the girl and it never occurred to her that her life had been extraordinary. She would vindicate herself. She fired questions at them about wild animals, their habits, where they might be found, which ones preyed upon the other. When the boys could give no answer, Tali supplied the answer. Before long the knowledge she'd gleaned, much by osmosis, revealed to the boys that Tali indeed was an extraordinary girl. She began to light up their eyes with her stories of the wild; and being a born storyteller like Yaron, she began at the beginning.

"My Papa studied veterinary medicine. Then he graduated and married Mother and landed a job in the Tanganyikan Territory. They worked out on the Serengeti until Mother's death bringing me into the world. After that Papa carried on alone."

The girl leaned back on her elbows, threw back her head with her lovely teacup face looking up into a robin's egg sky.

"What made Papa special was his love of animals. I think my Papa saved more than several thousand animals with his bare hands. Sometimes a mother would be killed; and Papa would bring the babies home and grow them up. We've had leopards and lions, tigers. I think whatever lives in the wild we've had one time or other."

The boys never flinched. This was first-hand knowledge. They were visibly impressed.

"Oh, mean things happened too!" she said.

Their eyes widened staring in Tali's direction.

"It just so happened that a band of poachers were setting up traps for the elephants and killing them to harvest their tusks."

"That's right! I heard about that on the radio. They caught them, didn't they?" Zev said.

"That's because Papa went out into the bush and stayed there days on end trying to get a handle on how they were getting away with it sneaking in and out as they did."

"How were they doing it Popsy?" Moshe and Mattai cried.

"Boys you'd never guess. They were swimming across a big wide river then burying their sacks and weapons until they were ready to use them. That way, if Papa and his men came along, they could jump back into the river, and keep hidden under water by breathing out of the river reeds. Well, they'd killed so many elephants that the government was determined to catch them; and the dragnet kept getting tighter and tighter; they finally did catch them right in the middle of one of the killing sprees. The leader took off getting a head start on Papa, and when he came upon a watering hole, he jumped in; when Papa and his men got there, he was just coming up for air. The good guys were all set to jump right in and lay hold of the evil poke, but Papa yelled for the men not to do it."

The girl stopped to take a breath and then glanced to her left then right, checking in with her audience. Every Lanzbaum was staring wide-eyed picturing the scene and chomping at the bit for Tali to finish the story. Taking another breath, she continued.

"Well, Papa could see that the men didn't want to listen to him. They thought the bad guy would be swimming away under water."

Daniel yelled "Yeah!"

"Yeah," David mimicked.

"So, Papa pulled out his gun and had to hold it on the men to keep them on the rocks."

"Why?" asked Zev. This was the adventuresome Lanzbaum and the one who would be over the rocks and into the water in a flash.

"Well, Papa wasn't exactly sure. He just knew that the man had on a torturous look, when he came up for air, and his going back down seemed to be an agony in slow motion. So, whatever was happening to that man was not a good thing to have happening to them."

Now all the boys together yelled,

"What happened?"

Tali winced looking from one pair of eyes to the other.

"The watering hole was filled with poisonous snakes. They must have been mating when the man jumped in Papa said, because they all went after him."

Yeow! The terrifying thought of jumping into a watering hole into the waiting clutches of a dozen vipers and their deadly fangs was beyond brutal. Daniel took a deep breath and it felt like he'd swallowed one of them. The twins' faces turned to stone. David shuddered visibly, and the older boys had their eyebrows shoot up and their jaws fall to gaping pits. "Noooooooooooo!"

## CHAPTER SIX

THE BROTHER

OF COURSE, ONE MIGHT imagine that a distraught Esther, upon awakening from her experience wanted only to be returned to her former life. Esther Lanzbaum could not live without keeping kosher. Now as she looked at her husband, two sharp sentinels drawn in beautiful black calligraphy stood arched above two coal-black eyes that burned as hot as Nebuchadnezzar's furnace.

"My dear," he whispered softly, "I'm sure there's a very good explanation. I spoke with the woman only yesterday. Perhaps someone has misinformed her regarding these matters."

"Perhaps someone has misinformed her? Benjamin Lanzbaum, I will not have you going against the Torah in order to be defending these heathen practices."

"My dear, I love you even when that stubborn streak gets the better of you," he said softly.

Inside his heart was being squeezed. Anxiety had been building ever since the incident when it had come to him there was the real possibility of their leaving the island, and Tali. Would he then not see her grow to maturity? He felt he owed it to his friend to help see to her upbringing. Besides, his boys seemed to be thriving here on the island.

The woman sobbed into her pillow.

"And what about Yaron's bar mitzvah Benjamin Lanzbaum? Tell me what you plan to do about that?"

"Esther, I will look into it today. I've never let you down. Trust me."

Like the turning of a page, Banbury Cross would become a kosher inn. Burdena MacIntyre would be so teachable it would gladden the doctor's heart, though for the present, Esther would remain in bed. What started out as small sniffles after the open car ride turned into a nasty cough; but it was the fact of her being confined to bed coming on the heels of the terrible kerfuffle that brought an increase in tension that descended upon the entire household. Dandelion's tail was slapping the Bed & Breakfast sign at breakneck speed. No doubt being banished from the front porch added to his ire.

Gordon was up and out of the house earlier than usual these days, but not before promising to take the youngsters blueberry picking out in the back of the property at day's end. Captain Blood would accompany the picking party, squawking and talking to everyone's amusement, especially those captivated twins who kept trying to feed His Majesty berries.

The day came. Arrangements were made for Yaron to have his Bar Mitzvah at the Shaare Zedek Synagogue, (Gates of Righteousness) in Halifax, Nova Scotia, it being the nearest synagogue. Burdena should be informed.

The woman looked up from her work in her little greenhouse attached to the back wall of the kitchen. Burdena grew everything that could not be grown in their locale including gardenias and earning a fine reputation from it. As the doctor made his approach, he could see where his friend Andrew had gotten his fine qualities. Whatever he did, he did with great skill; and whatever Burdena MacIntyre did she had no equal. Not on Prince Edward Island.

Unknown to the woman, this delightful, almost mysterious ambiance, in the eyes of a jealous, coveting brother, became a repugnance that had grown to exaggerated proportions over the years. Burdena had just received a letter in the morning post from her only sibling, Orville Eric Castlebalm. The Orville Castlebalms would be arriving home from the States in less than a weeks' time.

Orville was older than Burdena by five years. He lived on the island, one village away, on the big dairy farm left to him by their parents, some two hundred acres in all, with two hundred sturdy cows; a good inheritance by any man's measure. Now at the time of its dispersal, the brother himself would have agreed. For his competitor in the offing, his younger sister Burdena, had been left with only the family homestead with its big house and barn, in deplorable condition one might add, sitting atop the ten acres out on Cornwall Shore Drive looking out over the ocean. The place had been built solid by a sea captain for his wife so as she might be about watching for his return from the high seas. That was a hundred years ago, and the little woman lived there long after some distant storm took the man to his resting place; and then a niece inherited the place. She was getting on in years, but she lived there forty-two years until she died; and then the Castlebalms got the property. At the time of mother's death, the property was bereft of all the splendor and open concourse it enjoys today. What with both parents working the dairy farm from sun up until sundown, years on end, the Cornwall property had been nigh-on, neglected. Even Burdena, a snapping bean of twelve and thirteen, helped with the milking of the cows, or earned money for the family out in the potato fields nearby. She ran a tractor in those days, and several needy farmers were wont to come and fetch her, trusting that with Burdena at the helm, things would go smoothly. She worked for scant wages and was the only one could make the tractor walk a straight line. Burdena hated the work, even though she had the reputation of being as strong as an ox. But saving grace came in like a flood, with that pretty face she wore, even bearing up under that firmly set jaw, one might say the guardian to that proud streak; adding to that the thick flaxen hair and elegant posture, you couldn't say she wasn't a looker.

As for the Castlebalms, the Mister was a man who'd seen seventy-four island winters come and go. He displayed a massive shock of coarse white hair that stood out in contrast to a long black, handlebar mustache that sat between thin pasty lips and the long aquiline nose he'd inherited from Aunt Marguerite. In the early days, no one could accuse the man of not carrying himself well; but as the years progressed and jealousy crept on into his bones, his demeanor became pinched and twisted, as all that was good in life got sucked out of him.

His wife, the mouse, fretted about like a forsaken weeping willow, and the timid little voice that came out of her was pitched, almost to the highest key on a piano; and seeing there was no melody in the thing, there was something to be said for the quiet, deliberate way in which she spoke.

In time, the couple had been blessed with two sets of twins, with one set popping out in grand succession right on top of the other. Orville had married late in life; he being fifty-nine at the time and she a spinstery thirty-five.

Now during this time when brother Orville was out setting up and preening his bovine empire, up jumps this Jack-in-the-box upstart, his sister Burdena, and with only this mustard seed of an inheritance, sprouts this glorious Banbury Cross Bed & Breakfast, the talk of the island. The man became blind with rage; but loyal Burdena wasn't of a mind to see the jealousy oozing out of the man. Rather she would make excuses for him just as she made those poplin quilts for half the county.

"He's worn down with all the work. The wife doesn't help him like Mama helped Papa. And having two sets of twins in two years would try any man."

But Burdena's other half didn't quite see things the same way. Gordon MacIntyre had no use for the brother. Didn't trust him. Couldn't stomach him. Wouldn't give him the time of day. Sheamus' first impression of a man, any man, could stand up to every smoking gun and the most egregious pile of evidence. Had been like that for more than half a century. No one was about to second guess Sheamus MacIntyre.

Just now several flowering bushes jostled about as Benjamin Lanzbaum was peeping in between the hydrangeas. Burdena looked up.

"Come in Doctor Lanzbaum." she said apologetically. "I do hope things are improving after that unforgivable outburst."

"Now, now woman," he said. "Everything is K-O-S-H-E-R!"

Burdena was ecstatic. She captured two of her hardiest gardenia plants. They would go straight to the Mrs. Lanzbaum if the Mister would be gracious enough to accompany them. The man assured the woman of the delivery then informed her that he and his boys would be away in Halifax from Tuesday next, until the following Friday before sundown. Yaron was to be bar mitzvah.

## CHAPTER SEVEN

TALI MEETS THUNDER

THE BIRDS WERE SINGING in the trees nonstop. Morning had brought the news that the last stretch of summer up on Prince Edward Island should let go its most glorious panoramas. No expense should be spared. Even the houses on the island spruced themselves up with freshly painted-porches, a change of color for their shutters. Gardens became a tapestry replacing simpler brocades. The finest quilts were washed then hung out to dry. People lifted window sashes bringing in the sunshine and the sweet aromas.

The window in Esther Lanzbaum's room was one such window. Lyla had come in to freshen up the room. That simple cold resulted in pneumonia. Great care had brought the woman through. The children had been spending a great deal of time out of doors and an obliging Grandfather MacIntyre, in memory of his own restricted youth, graciously gave the boy's permission to build their tree fort in the giant Elm tree in front of the barn. Talk was incessant among the four youngest Lanzbaums about making it a pirate ship. On a clear day one could see far out over the ocean, and in a good wind one could almost believe he was sailing a great ship to far-away lands.

August twenty-third was the appointed day for Yaron's bar mitzvah. Mother would not be in attendance. Weak as she was, Esther took the news in stride. Each day the Torah candidate would recite his haftarah with perfect Hebrew. After all, he and his brothers were fluent in the language. It was the language they had learned at mother's knee.

When Lyla lifted the window sash, Yaron was filling Mother in on the latest news around the illustrious inn. No need to tell about the twins, having climbed, almost to the top of the giant Elm tree, in their slippery oxfords giving everyone a dreadful scare. After a daring rescue, Zev made the boys swear never to make the climb again, nor tell the tale for fear they not be allowed a tree fort at all.

Yaron stretched out and kissed his mother's forehead. Though her skin remained delicate and pale, her black eyes gave one the glimmer of hope that she would recover. Fierce determination was shining out at the boy.

Ben Lanzbaum stuck his head inside Esther's door motioning Yaron to come along. The two had a final appointment with a tailor in Charlottetown up on Queen Anne Street. The bar mitzvah boy kissed his mother, lifted his head proudly and smiled at the maid. Lyla flashed her gold-tooth grin.

As father and son pulled out of the drive just across the street in the direction of that breath-taking view of the strait was another posterior view. Two little cherubs were perched on the middle railing of the pole fence, and were leaning over, as far as they were able, without toppling over, into the field. It was the sweetest picture of childhood, and there, with their derrieres being made designate to all kinds of imagined offenses, came as close to daring do, as their delicate constitutions would allow. The objects of their intrigue looked up at them from big lank faces calling out across the field to give themselves up and come; but the cherubs only dared their way up to the fence, though the cows mooed with all their might.

Over in the adjacent field, came the twinkle of a pigtail as it flickered behind a haystack. Soon the one pigtail flickered into two as they whipped about the girl's head. Tali, had mounted a stallion, and was clinging, desperately to the animal. Her legs dug into his muscular body and her fragile form melted down onto his steel frame. Her face was all but, smothered, in his fearsome mane, while her arms clung to mane and neck. It was a truculent ride and there was no one about to even be afraid for her.

Unknown to Tali, the very beautiful, but dreadful stallion, had never been ridden. He'd only known a life of abuse somewhere over on the mainland. A friend of Gordon MacIntyre had been over to Antigonish and heard that because of the poor animal's circumstances, and his resulting wild streak, perhaps it might be best to put the horse down. Gordon MacIntyre, upon hearing, headed straight for the ferryboat. He might not be able to ride a horse again what with his arthritis afflicting him like a casing of barbed wire, but here was a challenger who didn't want to be ridden; and while the stallion might not be any good as most folks count good, maybe Gordon could do the horse some good. At Banbury Cross he could have a peaceful existence. Anybody deserved that. So, for the past two years that's how things stood. Thunder ran free in the west pasture facing the sea. He ran. He grazed. He chased the wind. Sometimes he played with the white caps as the sea came up to caress his sleek, muscular body.

It was thought by Dr. Appleton, the county veterinarian, that the animal was three years young. He'd been out last summer to remove a razor-sharp branch that had pierced his underside. Impossible to approach, he'd been sedated. Appleton did his work and reported to Gordon, "It's a tad-awful shame what's happened to this beauty. He'd have made one prize-winning horse."

Suddenly the horse burst into an open gallop. A steady, southeast wind turned north coming across the water, at a clip. In his rancorous state, the horse wrenched and neighed, opening wide the throttle of his blind fury. One could only attribute to providence the merciful outcome. There, sprawled out upon a plump, loose pile of newly-forked hay lay the newly initiated.

Too stunned to move, the girl lay shaking. The horse meantime took to the farthest corner of the pasture, snorting and talking to himself. Slowly Tali sat up then pulled herself up and out of the field. As she tramped home, the dream she'd dreamed about the stallion came back to her.

Wait up! Excepting for the mane, that horse could be the horse in my dream.

Outside of Banbury Cross Daniel was hawking his lemonade. David had made tracks into the house when he heard that mother was asking for him. The three older Lanzbaum boys were hauling big pieces of driftwood they could use to build the tree fort their younger brothers were dreaming about. When they spied Tali, Yaron and Zev wanted to cut across the grass in front of the Elm tree to exclude her from their activities. Boys needed some things sacred to themselves. But the girl was suddenly upon them telling them about her ride and her subsequent fall. The boys' feelings were reinforced. After all, you could count on a girl for that.

Now how this change in attitude developed was due mostly to Ivana Gablehurst, and a pinch to circumstance. To begin with, Mr. And Mrs. Gablehurst, now that the Mister was up and about, had arrived at the Bed & Breakfast incontrovertibly. Mrs. Gablehurst was, one could suppose, a fair enough lady. Extravagantly attired, as well she might be, in that the husband could probably own the whole island if he put his mind in that direction. Well having once laid eyes upon the lovely MacIntyre girl that first evening at dinner and having made it her business to find out all the particulars concerning the girl, she got a buzz in her head, and began instructing Burdena in her responsibilities in bringing the girl up properly. This was what the boys feasted on every evening, before the unsuspecting girl arrived at table.

On this evening, Tali was asked how her day had gone. Gordon MacIntyre was all ears as he pulled out a chair for his wife. Tali was becoming his pride and joy. Young David, always eager to act as the family reporter blurted out, "Papa, Popsy was over in the big pasture today. She got to ride a horse. But she fell off!" Looking sheepishly across the table at the wide-eyed girl, he added, "Cause she's a girl."

Fiery eyes blazed at her betrayer and while she knew intuitively that it was not malicious tattling coming from this totally, sanguine fellow, still, Tali Macintyre had not known tattling at all. Her beloved animals seemed most content to keep their gossip to themselves, and Lyla had saved her life so many times. For a while, the chatter continued; no alarm registered. They all seemed to be in the dark about the horse.

After dinner, the house guests remanded themselves to their rooms. Some went lazily outside to sit under the grape arbor and listen to the crickets until the sultry Miss Lyla would get herself going out in the kitchen. After settling a stack of dishes into soapy heaven, she would sing her way to the bottom of the stack minding not one bit that her magnificent concerts were traveling hither and yon all over Banbury Cross.

These days Benjamin Lanzbaum was spending as much time as he could with his boys and with Esther. During the daytime when he could get away he was looking into the possibilities for his professional future which he felt would come together once Esther was well and the bar mitzvah boy established and all of them settled in school. He even envisioned sponsoring other Jewish immigrants once his practice would take off. Many there were on the continent who would need a helping hand to pull themselves up and out of their misery. With the war behind them he would do his part and in so doing procure a mighty minion and his dream of having a synagogue right on the island. In the evenings, he would try to spend a few minutes with Tali. How did her day go? Was she getting along?

"Well, Doctor Ben," she said putting Captain Blood back into his cage, "I'm trying to get up my courage to tell Grandmother I'm not the girly kind of girl she would like me to be. I am surprised she hasn't noticed I'm left-handed. She'd probably insist I separate myself from the sinister appendage or be banished to the porch with the Captain."

"Tali I see a woman beside herself just knowing her granddaughter is living right here under the same roof."

"I know Doctor Ben. Maybe she will come around, and anyway I dreamed of meeting a wild stallion just the other night and today I met him. Can you believe that?"

"Tali I have found that living in your world there are few things I will not believe."

The doctor looked up as the door opened.

"Might we be havin' a word with our granddaughter?" said Gordon MacIntyre."

The elder MacIntyres were standing in the entrance to the porch. Their somber faces announced trouble. The tone of formality immediately led the doctor to excuse himself. Even Captain Blood took himself to the far corner of his cage to give evidence to his social skills.

"Tali," Grandfather shouted.

The girl stiffened.

"Were you not knowing you were taking your life in your hands, when you got up onto that horse?" he shouted.

In his grandfatherly fright, he had not stopped to consider how this daring do of a girl had done it. Meanwhile, Burdena collapsed into the wicker swing. The thought that this second girl might be put in harm's way was pushing her over the edge. Gordon turned to sound reasoning with the hope of getting himself on firmer footing.

"Tali, you haven't told me yet how you got up onto Thunder. Out with-it girl!"

"Oh Grandfather, that was the easy part. I just waited on top of a haystack that sat on the edge of a slope and when Thunder? Well, when Thunder came along seaside, plop! There I was. I guess I surprised him because he put up such a fuss. I had to really hold on tight. He catapulted me all over the field. He wouldn't give up and I wouldn't let go. But as it happened and probably only because I got a little frightened, I finally did fall off. But Grandfather I'm okay and next time I--"

"Next time?" the grandfather thundered. "Tali there's to be no next time. The horse has a deadly streak. Can you not understand that girl? There's no man fit to get near the beast. I only took the horse because I felt it a living shame they were set on destroying him when he'd done nuthin' wrong."

"What happened to Thunder Grandfather?"

"I don't even know girl. I never did git the whole story.

I just know he was abused plenty. When decent folk finally got him, it was too late. The damage was done," he said.

Indignation flashed onto the girl's face. Her eyes became simmering coals, her voice militant.

"They ought to hang the dirty polecats! That's what they ought to do!" she cried fearlessly.

"Aye, but it's not the dirty polecats that we're out here tending to if my memory ain't ditched me," the grandfather said.

"For pities sake!" said Burdena. "Let us return to a sense of order. Now Tali, we have considered the wrong in question and have decided that you will remain indoors for one week."

"One week? I can't stay indoors. How will I go to Halifax Grandmother? Doctor Ben has just told me I'm invited to go on the trip if only I get your permission," she said.

"Tali, I don't want to hear another word. You are not going because you are not leaving this house for one week."

"Grandmother?"

"Tali, my name is not sweet, sappy Lyla. You will___Oh lands! Now look what I've done speaking this way about this hard-working woman. One more word, just one, and you will be remanded to this house for two weeks!"

With that, the woman hastened to remove herself perhaps for fear that she would have to keep her new pronouncement.

## CHAPTER EIGHT

THE PUNISHMENT

AUGUST TWENTY-SECOND came around and was met by a strong hurricane that was coming up the east coast of the United States producing intense winds as far up as Nova Scotia. Although it posed no real danger to the little band of travelers, the sky was overcast, and the wind whipped their faces. Esther kissed her boys and gave each one instruction in decorum and daily responsibility. Now as she called Yaron back up onto that yawning porch she whispered something secret in his ear. The boy fairly beamed. Captain Blood let out a few parting words. Tali stood forlornly between Grandfather and Grandmother trying not to consider that they stood between her and her longing to be off to a new adventure. As the car lurched forward, Lanzbaum limbs were flying about in every direction. Waves and shouts of good-bye filled the air. Gordon and Burdena were seen waving long after the old gray Ford disappeared headlong over the road to Charlottetown and beyond. Esther blinked away a rush of tears and a few stray house guests stood by feeling teary-eyed themselves. Save one!

A strange twist of fate was unraveling up on the second story of the Bed & Breakfast. To begin the intrigue, cunning Mrs. Gablehurst was waltzing around her royal suite divining which outfit would be most inspiring for the evening meal. Hopscotching her way around camisoles and crinolines, Ivana appeared before the most extravagant mirror in one expensive get up after another, when she was visited by the most captivating idea. The whole picture jelled in her mind.

No wonder young Tali had an aversion to things feminine. The poor girl had spent most of her life locked up in a jungle. Yes, Ivana had squeezed the story out of that inimitably naive Lyla. Just to think of the possible waste of such beauty. One mustn't think of it. One must do something about it. And who was more suited for such a task than Ivana? For there was no mistaking that she was Mrs. Monty Gablehurst, Mrs. Montville Gablehurst. Tall and lanky with aquarium eyes and pouting jaw, why only a woman with a superabundance of feminine, perspicacity, as she called it, could transform this into, not only attractive, but in its way, nearly perfect packaging; but she did it and she had Monty to prove it. Actually, it did take more than attractive packaging to snag Montville Gablehurst. It took cunning; but Ivana had that too.

Today in front of the big antique mirror, Tali MacIntyre became Ivana's new enterprise. Why had she not thought of it right from the start? A million pieces of gray matter were charging and sputtering out commands, and the first thing to be done was to get this ark of antiquity out the door and down the hall and into Tali's room. When all had gathered outside, opportunity knocked at Ivana's door. Having big clawed-feet, the woman was able to walk the freestanding mirror, wrenching it back and forth, side to side, out the door, down the hall and into the front bedroom looking out over the periwinkle sea. Once in place, it looked as though it had always lived there.

Thankfully, the second thing on the list would not be as back-breaking. Burdena had intimated she wanted to get over to Charlottetown. The few dresses she had for Tali were short-waisted and not as stylish as she would like. Ivana agreed wholeheartedly, and tomorrow morning would not be soon enough. To use Burdena's own words, providence would provide the attire, and Ivana would provide the promotionals at the dinner table. Yes, and there was no insipid little Doctor Lanzbaum to interfere. What did it matter that the man was handsome and educated? Good looks were always wasted on the simple half-bakes of this world. Well, it wasn't going to happen to Tali MacIntyre, Ivana began to console herself. Deep inside every female lurks saving vanity. Ivana would draw it out and the mirror would introduce it to the girl.

The following morning Montville was dropped off at his golfing range and Ivana sped away with the unsuspecting Burdena MacIntyre. In minutes, they were galloping along country roads crossing the bridge over the back inlet leading to Charlottetown harbor. After the wild ride, nothing ruffled the MacIntyre woman, even the lofty prices in the salon on Confederation Street.

The dresses were marshmallow confections of Alencon lace and French blue brocades, old China silk with Dutch pink embroidery, a luscious linen in seawater green, another in Capri blue, and three different arrangements for the Italian organza: an old blue taffeta, a king's yellow crinoline, and an orchard rose acetate. The camisoles and crinolines were going happily out the door tucked tightly into soft pink tissue and carried away in big flowered bags. Soon soft stylish shoes called out from storefront windows and Ivana was there not to disappoint them, taking seven pairs in assorted colors and style. One mustn't let personal preferences become a reason for defeat she reasoned. Even cover-ups were chosen along the way: three caress able cashmere sweaters: one white, one cream color with delicate embroidered buttons in colored pastel, and one a pale, pale raspberry, two afternoon shawls and two winter coats.

Before rushing back to the Bed & Breakfast, Ivana would take a weary Burdena to lunch at an outdoor cafe over on Victoria Street, but first there were bangles to buy, and every little lady cultivates toiletries, parfum, and purses. The two women were last seen struggling under a mountainous pile of boxes and bags up on Queen Anne Street.

Meanwhile, the unsuspecting girl had taken herself up to her room. Unnoticed was the runaway mirror; Tali's attention was given to the view outside the window. With the window pulled up, it was easy to see that thick, billowy clouds had replaced yesterday's overcast-sky; and up on Prince Edward Island the clouds sailed right down to kiss the sea then skipped across fields and hills. The tall dark fir trees reached up at times tickling them on their way; and the sheep and goats and every spotted creature murmured in its own inimitable way, his satisfaction and contentment in being placed in this little corner of paradise. Even Thunder!

While hanging out the window and twisting her neck she imagined she could almost see the horse and pulling herself up and stretching a little bit more, perhaps would do it. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, came a piercing scream.

"Tali!"

The girl lurched backwards losing her balance and almost falling headlong out the window.

"What are you doing girl?" Grandfather shouted as he lunged forward trying to grab her; but Tali, having clutched the open window, pulled herself up and then, wrenching herself forward and rocking side to side, got herself back into the room.

"Grandfather I was trying to get a glimpse of Thunder, and I can't see that far up the road from inside my room," she said.

"Oh! Me blessed days! I can see you're set on taking the wind out of me sails," the man said.

He slumped down onto the edge of the goose down bedding. He'd been fret with worry since the Lanzbaum's departed, afraid she'd be sufferin' down in the doldrums. Everything else had escaped him. Suddenly the man was caught up short as a lifetime that had been put away was whispering around his face. He reached up to touch the rich willowy lace of the canopy and was struck by the realization he'd entered this room that held its sweet scent and aged-secrets. Indeed, it had been shut up these many years, until Tali had come to visit--had come home. In all his haste, he'd not stopped to realize this would be the first trip up these wide stairs and into this room nigh on twenty-five years just like the little wife had said; n' here he was sitting right up square on the big feather bed, the one he'd picked out himself with its cherry bedposts. N' there against the opposite wall was that big wide antique bureau with the pretty, floral hand painting the mother had painted one year by that traveling limner who stayed on at the inn one whole season and paid for his room and board in poppycock and painting, and good at both. The man might have been overcome if it hadn't been that this second charmer was spoutin' in his ear.

"Grandfather if you could see how me and Papa lived in Africa, you wouldn't worry one bit.

"Tal, I don't know that you see. Tis one thing for me to be having the animal out in the pasture, and t'be doing whatever's necessary to keep him. Mr. Waterman keeps the fence built up and in good repair to protect both man an' beast. N' I respect the horse and he respects me. That means I don't bother him and he doesn't bother me. Are you understanding what I'm saying to you girl?" the man said.

"Grandfather! Please hear me out. I think there is hope for Thunder; and I want to try and help him," she protested.

The man's color paled. The thought of losing this girl was as overwhelming a thought as he'd ever had; so, he did the only thing he knew to do. He lashed out at her.

"Tali, there's to be only one hope for you. Aye, and it's you'll be forgetting all these blame fool ideas and just be accepting you're a girl. You'll not be having much of a choice; once your grandmother gets something into that head of hers, there'll be no stopping her; and it's she's been off to Charlottetown all morning with that socialite woman, Ivana Gablehurst. I imagine they've bought a pile of dresses by now. Your grandmother has it in her head that you're going t' be a lady Tal, so you may as well resign yourself to the meat and potatoes. Do you hear me?"

The girl sat there vaporized. She was going to be a lady? The strange words and the utter thought of it would not quite register in her mind. With not a word, she put her fingers up to the Captain, who had settled on the grandfather's shoulder. Bounding down from the bed, Tali and the Captain began pacing back and forth at the foot of the bed. Back and forth and back and forth went the Captain. Still the girl paced. Then, just when the man felt he was at his wits' end with what he could do to reason with the girl, she spoke.

"Grandfather I have an idea. I promise I will wear every dress that Grandmother brings home. I'll even make her think I like being a girl if you let me visit Thunder."

Gordon MacIntyre clapped his hand over his mouth then nervously began stroking his velvet beard. Still the girl persisted.

"I promise I won't step one foot inside that pasture. Not even one! I just want to go over every day and walk along outside the fence and let Thunder get used to me. I'll bring him treats and I know he'll like them. He'll start to look forward to my coming. Papa taught me so much about animals. I promise I won't do anything to scare Thunder, or you. Please Grandfather?"

"Tali!" The man's voice shook. Why had nobody figured out how to sew an old head onto a young body? He began rubbing his hands on his pants and rocking back and forth.

"Hanging out in that pasture is all well and good," she said. "But the horse still has to live with himself and with all his fears. Nobody sees that. We can do something about it. Don't you see? We can help Thunder Papa."

In her complete immersal down into the cauldron of poor Thunder's troubles, the girl had gone and called her Grandfather Papa. Something got his attention. Was it that she had called him Papa, or was it the lamentable thought of the poor hapless horse? The man scratched his head and rose up heated from the discussion. Something caught his eye out in the driveway. The little wife had arrived home. That big Rolls Royce, the rich man's emblem, had just pulled into the drive.

Tali looked out over the scalloped parapet then turned to her grandfather.

"You see that Grandfather? They have it in their heads to make a lady out of me. You said it yourself. You say the word. I get to keep Thunder company on the far side of the fence, and Grandmother MacIntyre will get the young lady of her dreams. What do you say Grandfather?"

As the girl spoke, the poor man was taking in the colorful scene spread out in the driveway. Boxes were appearing in stacks. The two women must have bought out the town. Seeing as the little wife was setting such store in having the girl presented as a young lady, here was an opportunity staring him in the face; and being that the little woman was so competent and efficient, it was always the question mark in his life as to what he could bring to the marriage table. He let out a heavy sigh.

"Aye, so it's a deal you're after is it? Well then, it's a deal you'll be havin'! And may me mother rest in peace! You please your grandmother and you and I will be taking that stroll everyday over to the west field. Mind you! I don't want you over there alone. We'll go together when I get home from the lighthouse."

"A deal girl?"

"Tiger deal Grandfather!" Tali said.

"Whoa now! There is one more thing Tal."

Concern flashed across the girl's face.

"How about visiting an old man out at his lighthouse a little more often? The Captain has been a cranky old hoot lately," he confessed.

The bird swung his head around as if to say,

"He's a lyin' squealer!"

Tali's eyes laughed.

"By the way you know you called me Papa," he said.

Tali looked at her grandfather then reached out and brushed the hair from his eyes.

"Don't you know you called me Tal? Only Papa called me Tal," she whispered.

## CHAPTER NINE

BIG IDEAS

THUS, IT WAS ON the following afternoon after listening to a lengthy speech by goggley-eyed Ivana, that Tali, eyes closed, swooned fairly magnificently.

"Oh Mrs. Gablehurst, I shall always treasure this day as the day in which my feet alighted or alit? (opening one eye for possible correction.) on the path to womanhood!"

Tali's eyes were blinking furiously at the utterance of such dismal words.

"There, there my dahling!!" cried the ecstatic woman.

"I can see that the dawn of feminine perspicacity is having a most profound effect upon you."

Tali blushed as several freckles that were always trying to see the light of day finally made it out to witness this performance. Ivana wasted no time. With less than an hour until dinner, Tali was whisked away upstairs to be transformed into the pure confectionery delight of Ivana's choosing.

Gordon himself had come home early to see what might transpire, as he sensed that Tali was a woman of her word. This led Captain Blood to the woeful conclusion that there would be an early retirement for his own birdly feathers, although, at least he'd have the satisfaction of perching himself out in a coveted spot. Hadn't Dandelion's dirty look preened his feathers handsomely?

Several guests were wandering about Banbury Cross' spacious interior. Two large living areas made themselves accessible to anyone who entered. The grand piano had just been tuned. Mr. Wigglesworth smiled as he made his way out the door.

"How do, Sheamus?

Gordon nodded amicably.

"We don't get to see you like in the old days," he said.

"Maybe for the good of all, we ain't in the old days," Gordon responded.

Then they both laughed.

"Oh shuks! I left me tunin' fork at the piano. Give my regards to the wife."

Gordon waved the man away and then looked around to see the mistress of the house. Out in the big kitchen the dinner was in progress. An ocean of spices had quite finished its work, but curiously, Lyla was not stirring the soup nor attending to the succulent lamb. Both Lyla and Burdena were missing. Oh lands! Did the feisty granddaughter go and get herself into some kind of scrape?

Inside the library, Dr. Marshall Townsend was conferring with the two women. Esther was upstairs in her room resting now. The good doctor had come immediately following Burdena's call to say that a house guest was having difficulty breathing. The woman suffered from arrhythmias. Having determined the husband to be a physician, he pressed Burdena to have the man call him, at his earliest convenience. Additionally, he disclosed the news Esther had received by post this afternoon. From what he could gather, the hearing of it was very disconcerting to the receiver. Miriam, Esther's doting sister, would be arriving on Prince Edward Island on Friday afternoon in time to welcome in the Shabbat. She apologized for not making it to Halifax for the ceremony. She would arrive to welcome the bar mitzvah boy at his welcoming home party over the weekend. These were the words that did it. What welcoming home party? Esther had never mentioned a party. The woman was in no condition to be overseeing parties. The celebration was to be announced in one month. Yaron seemed completely satisfied with the plans. Now the poor woman felt she was somehow bringing disgrace upon the family. Dr. Townsend reassured his patient, checked her medications, and gave her a new regime to follow for the next few days. Burdena and Lyla, beside themselves to know if everything would be all right, were being advised to try and alleviate the woman's concerns as much as possible, and to cook up some good food and sunshine, and finally, to administer a healthy dose of laughter several times a day.

That evening, dinner was brought to Esther in her room. Tali received the news at the dinner table decked out in Alencon lace laid sweetly over an ice blue taffeta. Grandmother MacIntyre wasted no time in enlisting the girl.

"Tali dear you must go right up after dinner and present yourself to Mrs. Lanzbaum. I am sure that seeing you in that sweet gown will raise her spirits immensely. "

Burdena and Lyla were now making grand plans for a big celebration at week's end. Gordon wondered if it might prove to be the very first celebration of its kind up on Prince Edward Island and would someone be explaining bar mitzvah to him now that he was to be directly involved in the affair. Since the other house guests were equally intrigued, only one thing remained. Someone must inquire of Esther Lanzbaum.

Burdena prided herself in the fact that she could now advertise Banbury Cross as a kosher establishment in next season's advertisements. But who could know with certainty if there mightn't be myriad other matters to be considered. These Jewish people led very complicated lives.

After a time Tali excused herself from table. When she entered the sick room, Esther Lanzbaum's welcoming smile lit up the whole room. Tali responded in kind ignoring the interfering dress that enveloped her from head to toe. The conversation went back and forth. They were drawn to one another. This intrigued the girl. Mrs. Lanzbaum was disciplined, where Tali was spontaneous and free-spirited. Yet the woman held expansive ideas that lived outside of boundaries. Moreover, the woman's interest in Tali went deeper than the girl could know. Esther Lanzbaum had always wanted a girl of her own. Perhaps the mentoring of this girl would satisfy this longing.

"Tali," she said, "I so much enjoy your spirit of adventure. It would have made your dear mother so happy to see you growing up into a young woman and writing it all down. As soon as I am able we must spend time together to develop your writing skills."

When Lyla appeared with a pot of tea, Tali made her way to her own room. She eagerly slipped out of the prickly dress and crawled into bed. She looked up at the moon. The night sky was fully lit. She lay there thinking of the things Mrs. Lanzbaum was pouring into her head. Tali fancied big ideas and Esther Lanzbaum was full of them. It felt exhilarating. Something big and fresh was being birthed in her. It seemed to possess a life of its own. Although she could not quite put a word to it, she felt that if she could get up onto its back she could fly up higher than the sky.

Presently, Mrs. Gablehurst came to mind. The woman dazzled the girl by her penchant for the fantastic. Tali smiled knowing that here was someone who could finally give birth to a very different kind of challenge. Her eyes grew heavy.

"Ivana keeps you--on your toes!"

With that, she was fast asleep.

Downstairs the Gablehursts had offered the use of their Rolls Royce to parade the bar mitzvah boy around to the Point and over to Charlottetown Harbor upon his arrival home. They were chagrined to discover that observant Jews do not travel on Shabbat.

"Never mind," Monty commiserated, as though the Lanzbaums had already voiced their disappointment in not getting to gad about town in the big prestigious boat. "There is no circumstance on this planet that the Gablehurst know how cannot affect!"

"Well, my dahling, the fact that this curious affair is to take place in less than two days, I'd say you had your work cut out for you," Ivana said.

Don't you know that big Rolls Royce was seen bounding in and out of the Bed & Breakfast driveway right up until late Friday afternoon when the troops arrived home from Halifax one wink before Shabbat unfolded. Out of respect for the whole megillah, Monty's new word, he hid the Rolls out at the back of the property until sundown on Saturday, telling Ivana,

"If those party boys can rough it, Monty Gablehurst can too!"

## CHAPTER TEN

THE BAR MITZVAH BOY

AT LAST, THE LANZBAUM FAMILY was reunited. Esther's happiness at seeing her boys bubbled up like the finest champagne on Rosh Ha Shanah. The two littlest cherubs clung to their Eamah, the Hebrew word for mother, long after the others had gone to investigate all the party decorations that Ivana and Tali had hung about the house.

On the morning of the celebration, the bar mitzvah boy was awake long before the sun came up. He lay there quietly in his bed going over the tree fort floor plans. That big, wide limb that had so appealed to the boy upon first inspection was decidedly the one where his boardwalk would be hammered down. That would put the boy up high enough to escape the bothersome interference of his younger siblings, but advisedly, and that known only to his own counsel, not so high up as to give him that vertigo that made people crash off big-storied buildings.

This Prince Edward Island with its lavish green fields and red, red roads, its great open meadows where the grasses bowed low in the afternoon breezes, where the land met the sea and the surf would spray its blessing everywhere, this was the place where both the small and the great could make their stake at happiness. Yes, they were a world apart, a world unto themselves far and away from the happenings abroad and the whispers that stirred up fear and misgiving. Father had requested, that mother not be advised about the struggle on the continent. There were many relatives living in France who were now in imminent danger. Yaron had overheard Ariel and Zev discussing the war and the plight of the Jews. This was a matter for serious prayer. A sudden knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. It was Mr. MacIntyre.

"Ah, Yaron!" he whispered. "Aye was hoping you might like to come out with me to the lighthouse lad. I'm glad you're awake. Aye didn't know if Aye should be knocking and maybe be waking everybody up. It's only four-thirty son."

"Gee Mr. MacIntyre. That would be great. I can get dressed in a jiffy," Yaron said.

The boy threw himself into his clothes and stepped out into the early dawn light. The two maritimers headed out to the barn. Mr. MacIntyre would be taking all the animals out to give them their morning feed. Yaron watched from a distance as he mucked out their stalls and hosed them down; and then with breakfast under their belts he led them out across the road to pasture for the day. Once inside the gate and he'd patted the last rump, he turned in the direction of the lighthouse. The morning sun was coming up over the horizon. Arm in arm they went two bronze figures glistening in the sun. Gordon was glad the boy had come. It made him happy. It made him feel like he was back in the old days when his Andrew walked beside him.

## CHAPTER ELEVEN

THE SHIP

BACK AT THE INN a house full of dreamers lay in their beds. But even in an unconscious state Tali MacIntyre was not ready to jump into a hooey dress. There she lay sprawled out on her bed dreaming of her enchanting horse, the stallion that was going to love her if it was the last thing she would ever do, or ever hope to do.

Meanwhile most of the adults had risen and were busy eating breakfast or were engaged in other activities.

"Well, I must say, the girl may not be as difficult to turn into a lady as I had envisioned. Getting up late for good or bad certainly is a woman's prerogative," Ivana Gablehurst said.

Esther looked up at her husband. "Ben dear, would you call the boys to prepare for the celebration?"

Unbeknown to the rest of the household, Tali had finally risen but had not gotten out of her room. For it was while she was getting herself ready for the day that she discovered she was sleeping in Emily's room. This knowledge had been hiding out in the big antique bureau. While rummaging through drawers looking for a hairbrush she discovered some old letters and a few odd pictures that looked to be herself. These relics, plus a few of Papa's remembrances, were the only links she had with Papa's Emily. It suddenly occurred to her there were no photographs of Emily around the big house. As she examined the pictures, she could see that the girl was vibrant and her eyes the same Capri blue as Papa's. So, this was Emily. Papa's twin!

A knock came at the door. It was Grandmother toting a breakfast tray. Mrs. Gablehurst would be arriving momentarily to help ready the girl for the gala. Amid the greetings and chatter, Tali rose up, deposited the pictures and letters on the chair then pounced on them. She remembered her tiger deal. Tali chose her words carefully.

"Grandmother I am going to try and be the most elegant girl you could ever have at Banbury Cross even though I should have been a boy," she hurried off. (It seemed the tomboy could not be silenced.)

Burdena was enchanted. She only heard the words elegant girl. Ivana Gablehurst had been right all along. Her granddaughter was coming around. Nothing could please the woman more. She looked about the room. Emily's room. Having Tali in it and, turning her into a bona fide girl was the only thing that could make the universe function in Burdena's eyes. Suddenly Mrs. Gablehurst was at the door. Burdena would leave the granddaughter in the hands of the expert.

Tali took a deep breath and remembered the pact she had made with Grandfather. She pictured the amazing stallion, pictured herself seated firmly on his back. Taking a deep breath, she announced,

"Mrs. Gablehurst, I shall wear the prettiest, frilliest, confection, as you call it, to the afternoon party."

Ivana gasped. Her mouth circled into the O of surprise. She knew she had talent, but this looked for success was chasing after her! She hardly knew what to do. In and out of closets she fluttered, ravaging drawers of their contents, compelling boxes to open up their spoils, deciding at last that a full-skirted gown was essential to the final unveiling of perfection. Out came the bounciest crinolines in the king's yellow with the Italian organza overlay, and those sweet sandals with the raised heel. There! Now her beautiful wooded blossoms were pulled up on the sides, and clustered at the top of her crown. The hair behind was allowed to cascade down in a thick sheet of curls. Gazing into the mirror these two opposites came to face, the beloved tomboy and the princess of Prince Edward Island standing in the wings.

Downstairs the boys gathered together nervously fingering their tzitzits, the younger of them praying that their own bar mitzvah would prove to be as spectacular as was the older boys. Ariel was wishing Yaron success in life and telling him,

"Yaron, you be a menche like Abba and everyone will be proud of you."

Yaron smiled and nervously twisted his tzitzits like twine around his fingers.

"Thanks Ari. Right now, I just want to do something to make mother well. I hope she can get her strength back," Yaron said.

"Son, we all pray that same prayer," the father exclaimed. "I can tell you this. You give your Aunt Miriam a glowing report to bring back home to the relatives in Brookline, down in the States, and that will do fantastically towards making mother well."

One of the boys had a wary look on his face, he kept eying the decorations in a rather scornful way. Those eyes were turning green with envy. It was Daniel.

Mattai and Moshe with seemingly one mind divided between two bodies were begging their Abba for a visit with Captain Blood. His excellency's chatter could take the twinkles out of every nearby star and place them in their own wide-eyed saucers. They still lived in that land of make believe. When Lyla returned to the kitchen. Mattai took hold of the left side of Father, and Moshe, the first-born, took up his rightful place at his right hand. Their beseeching tugs brought him down to their level and hiding themselves inside his coat they took turns coming out with hugs and pleadings until the request was granted. It pleased the man to grant their requests seeing they were so grateful for this gift of life and each other, that they rarely asked for more. He scooped up his boys and made off in the direction of the front porch, but not before snagging the green-eyed boy. Daniel went on ahead. Upon reaching the porch, he pushed open the big antique door only to discover a carnival of color awaiting them here as well.

"Oy va voy! This is a little overdoing thing; I'd say," said Daniel.

Benjamin Lanzbaum approached the big door carrying his two boys like two parasols high above him. Stooping down to accommodate his added stature, he breeched his way into the room. Dr. Lanzbaum laughed to himself and to his two young sons proclaimed,

"Whoa, Mattie! Moshe! Look at the Captain's cage!"

Two big bows were tied at the bottom of the cage, and the whole affair hung down on a chain from a ring in the high ceiling A cluster of colorful balloons and curly streamers were attached at the top giving the appearance of a hot air balloon flying about with the Captain seated inside. Needless to say, the bird was not impressed. His own sweet feathers needed little dressing up in his favored opinion and he wasted little time in telling the good doctor. Moshe and Mattai became ecstatic. Their eyes were like fixed stars applauding his performance.

"You may talk to the Captain and mind you see he watches his manners. Mother would be disappointed in the whole lot of us if we let him misbehave himself. Now wouldn't she?"

The two boys looked up to their father like two baby lambs being let out to pasture with the good Captain.

As Dr. Lanzbaum edged his way to the door, he admonished the boys not to touch the cage and certainly not to leave the door ajar if they should decide to leave before his return. One could never be too sure about Dandelion. Then the father put his arm around Daniel and inched him along. He was careful to set the door so that a nudge would have it give way to the boys, and then moved on through the rooms and out onto the veranda. It was apparent to the boy that his father had a message to impart.

"Daniel, I would like your advice concerning a certain matter that has been troubling me of late."

"What is it Father?" the boy asked.

"Well son, I met a man who has been looking to build a ship, a big, beautiful ship. He says that it will be the fairest boat ever to set sail."

"Wow, Father!"

Benjamin Lanzbaum's eyes gave out a great spark.

"Gads, what a boat it will be when it's finished," he said.

"Yes Father! Go on."

"Well now, there are problems, Daniel."

"What problems Father?"

"To begin with, every time the man has the chance to pick out the very best building materials someone objects."

The boy's eyes were riveted on his father.

"For instance, take those sails. He spots the biggest, fullest sails and wants them for his ship. He knows that they will carry the ship into the strongest winds. No other sails could hold up to them, Son. Any ship heading out under these sails would look its magnificent best. They'd be fully awesome to behold. What do you think should be done?" the father said.

"Why there isn't anything to think about," Daniel said.

"Just tell the man to go right out and get those sails. He knows what's best!"

"You're right Son! And everyone will be glad when he does, would you say Danny?"

"Of course, Father! Everyone will want to sail with a man who owns as fine a ship as the one you describe," he said.

Ben Lanzbaum looked his son square in the eyes now, giving him a moment to reflect. Then he continued.

"Son! The mishpochah! The family is the ship! And when one is blessed, everyone is blessed. Do you see it?"

The story had filled him with the promise of grandeur, the promise of hope. It was the promise of_________

Oh, but why did it seem like he was in a smashup-like in a head on collision? Oy vah voy! The story was about himself. Daniel could feel his face go from red to pink to pale in succession. His breath failed him. Why did he begrudge his brother his moment of glory? Father was right. He felt like he was sitting in a pit of slime. He cringed to have his father see his fall. He tried to look away but their eyes locked.

## CHAPTER TWELVE

THE VISION OF LOVELINESS

THE WHOLE DOWNSTAIRS was awash with the newly arrived guests. Esther, candidly thinner than a month before, wore her pale chiffon dress in loose folds; her cheeks were full of color. It appeared that the doctor's call for some summer sunshine and laughter was having its good effect. The two sisters stood proudly together. The family resemblance in the black eyes and the expressive eyebrows, the same thick straight black hair could not be mistaken. The two women were equally proud of the bar mitzvah boy, and the Bar Mitzvah boy was walking several stories higher than his five feet six inches would have enjoined. Joining the party was Papa Lanzbaum returning with his two pups. Auntie Miriam smiled at their happy faces. But even the brightest smile was not sufficient to win these two shy elves. One clung to Abba and the other to Eamah.

The Ladies Home Horticultural Society began arriving. When all the women were counted they numbered an even dozen. Each woman brought along a gift as a proper acknowledgment of this laudable occasion. Doctor Lanzbaum had all he could do to keep hold of his wife's equilibrium. Monty and Ivana Gablehurst broke out the champagne and bubbles went happily heavenward. Even the laughter bubbled up as Mrs. Geeclef from the Flower Society remanded herself to the Baby Grand and captivated her audience with the Golliwog's Cakewalk by Debussy. The music played and the people now numbered forty-seven including more than a dozen house guests. Medley followed medley, and people gathered into small groups to nibble on the latest gossip around Cornwall. Of course, Banbury Cross and its foreign arrivals was front-page material to this speck on the map. Nonetheless, no respectable guest would be so forward as to have out with an opinion at least not until a proper introduction had been forthcoming; and so, the Lanzbaum family from the youngest to the oldest found their heads bobbing up and down to the constant 'How do you do?' and the 'Pleased to meet you!' sentiments that were unending. The tinkling of glasses and the colorful decor increased the feeling of gaiety while huge trays of tempting foods were waltzed through the big rooms on their way to the dining hall carried aloft by the hired help. Feet were tapping to the music, laughter was fully in attendance; and then the music stopped.

At the top of the staircase appeared a vision of loveliness emboldened by the king's yellow crinoline and airy organza overlay. Audible gasps echoed throughout the room as the maiden stepped forward in a most striking Cinderella gown that emphasized a tiny waist and blossoming breasts. Why it was the MacIntyre girl. That little girl that Benjamin Lanzbaum could picture in his mind with those heavy pigtails had all but disappeared. Tali MacIntyre had grown into a woman overnight. Ivana elbowed her congratulations to herself all the way into her husband's ribs. Monty acknowledged her triumph with the clink of his glass against hers. Burdena MacIntyre who rarely blushed, or gushed out her praises, soon captured Ivana with a torrent of "You blessed creature! How can I ever thank you? How can we ever thank you," as the proud grandfather came alongside his wife?

At this moment Mrs. Geeclef was retiring from the piano unnoticed save for one tall black-haired fellow. Quickly, the young man seized the piano stool flexing his long fingers and rising a fraction to let his coattails escape. In seconds, a most exquisite piece was pulled from a repertoire to serve as the girl's entrance. Tali tried to gain her composure as she looked down upon all the people waiting on her. Suddenly this pompous music demanded she step forward. It was daunting, over-taking, until in a fraction of a second, a flurry and flicker of black-coattails, and long-legged gracefulness, bounded up the twisting staircase. Benjamin Lanzbaum took the stairs three at a time as he realized belatedly, but not futilely, that a debut was taking place, and in stead for his friend, Andrew MacIntyre, he would be the privileged designate who would present Tali MacIntyre to Banbury Cross.

A medley began calling out just as the man reached the top of the stairs. He hugged the girl with his warm smile and extended his long black arm. Losing her hesitation, she stepped forth extending her gloved hand slipping it under and around Father Lanzbaum's arm. Hand in hand, with his two hands firmly clasping her left hand, he squeezed proudly fully ready to embark down the grand staircase. But looking down at the people once more, this strange sensation she despised, rose up again. Because as fearless a girl as any she'd come across in all her books, Tali in a dress, in front of all these people, was unsettling. She was not who they thought she was or who they expected her to be just because she was hitched-up in this dress. The whole thing made her want to jump into a barrel of water.

Suddenly, far out across the great room, she spied a portrait, newly hung above the central fireplace. It was a daring portrait of an Arabian horse, whose sleek gray-speckled body was offset by a thick white mane that blew across the canvas. Intense black eyes smarted as the rider pulled the reins up tightly. His feet pawed the air. Like a raging North wind blowing straight through her, she remembered Thunder. He was the epitome of what life had been before Banbury Cross and he would be the full substance of what it could be again. Seeing the spirited stallion reminded her of the promise to Grandfather. She lifted her head, the lovely teacup countenance mounted above her travail; she set a syrupy smile to her face and straightened her posture.

"So, you're looking for a lady is it?" she thought. "Well then, it's a lady you'll be having! It's high time that girly creature got out of that big clawed mirror and came down these stairs. Oh, will that girly girl ever get here?"

Down the stairs they marched. Reaching the foot of the stairs, Tali's eyes wandered about the room. A dozen lovely gowns in taffetas and lace, silk and gossamer swooshed about, their occupants happily advertising their gender. Several white-gloved hands veiled hallmark expressions concerning the medium decorous and the least decorous and, tossing glances in Tali's direction, the most decorous of the day, as though the mirror, mirror on the wall had spoken. Tali's eye spied the great stallion again pawing the air even as the rider dressed in garnet-green satin spurred the animal forward. Yes, the rider wore a skirt. Could that be Emily?

A ripple of music began a melody familiar to Tali. It was an intricate lovely piece that sounded at times like waterfalls. Instead of Lyla breaking into the melody, it was sweet Esther. Her lovely lyric notes resounded throughout the room. The audience was enchanted. Several bars into the music Lyla entered the piece. The contrast, the counterpoint, the underlying strength of the one deeply resonant voice plucked at by the lovely lyrical strain of the other, produced a symbiotic performance. Tali moved from the back of the crowd and made her way towards the piano squeezing past other billowy gowns to come closer to the performers.

The women had stopped singing now, but the piano continued executing a lengthy interlude. Tali never knew an instrument could sound so exquisitely beautiful, becoming crashing thunder, then waterfalls, and finally musical raindrops. Why, it was Ariel, who was playing so beautifully. Strangely, she could not remove her eyes from this dashingly transformed young man. Lean muscle grew as the intricacies of the piece ebbed and flowed and his fitted attire revealed a virile, well-toned body. This sudden animation, this dashing up and down the keyboard, this tossing of a rack of curls amid a violently pregnant poise that pounded down in thunder and rain, then melted into a soft caress, touched her. His eyes became a flame of fire that fell upon her igniting something. She could not break her stare and for the longest moment, their eyes locked.

As the interlude subsided, Lyla let her voice roll out onto a rich velvet ribbon. Soon sweet Esther would break into the piece tripping in and out of the melody. Tali hardly noticed. She could not tear her gaze away from the dashing musician who of a sudden opening his mouth, swallowed up the room. The audience swooned. By the time the climax came, it seemed just too magnificent. Ariel had joined with Lyla's rich, resonant voice subduing it, conquering it and taking it to its farthest heights. Tali found herself clutching her stiff petticoat, which seemed to be the only thing holding her up. The audience was thrilled. It was a stellar performance not heard on this tiny island.

## CHAPTER THIRTEEN

WHAT LOVE WILL DO

THE LOUD APPLAUSE WAS ringing in the young man's ears but Tali had not heard it because she'd already stolen away to the veranda. Somehow, she felt transformed from who she was and who she had always been. How this knowledge was revealed to her, was presently uncertain. But it was sure, and it was forever. Great Jehoshaphat! Could it be that in a single moment all the thoughts and all the feelings she'd held for a lifetime were obliterated? Could she let people see she was becoming a woman? Was this the reason Father had taken up with her dear dead mother? Was this the reason Doctor Lanzbaum treated his wife so deferentially? Was this that__love__word? Would she, Tali MacIntyre, be taken up with all this__whatever it was? Would she let herself be swept off her feet? That thought was totally preposterous. It jolted her back to a sobering state. She would not!

Tali MacIntyre would pick up the mask of who she was and who she'd always been, and she would wear it for as long as she would need to be shielded against prying eyes and whispering glances. For she was not mistaken in her interpretation of that purloined glance from a nosey-faced lady who had tried to read her rapturous gaze like the Dear Lovelorn column in the Weekly Gazette. She would guard her heart from everyone. Even Ariel!

It was going to take time and she needed time, her own good time to let this new creature come forth. Not everyone can just dive into parties and dresses, and the whole lot of it; that was certain. Leaning on the porch railings, Tali could see the miles of strait that waited calmly, patiently in the distance, waiting for troubled spirits, waiting to offer their strength and hope. She looked out over the sea. Several vessels clamored to get into the harbor and a big brassy steamer became downright bossy to get ahead of some smaller boats. The sun shimmered across the water and mottled cows called out, 'Remember us at milking time.' She breathed in the salty air. Life was different from before. Everything was different. She brought her hands up to her breasts and felt the crinkling underneath her dress. All alone, she embraced the lovely gown and herself. So, it was wonderful to be a girl. It was exciting! Never mind if it sounded outlandish, it was romantic and thrilling! Closing her eyes now, she pictured the lovely girl in the big clawed-mirror. Her heart began to race.

"Why it's...me...and..."

She stretched forth her hands grasping the folds of the lovely gown caressing it endearingly for the first time.

Why this is what it means to be a girl, she thought. I've been so silly, so foolish. It's right to be a girl. It feels right to be a girl.

"What was wrong with me?" she blurted out in a tumult!!

"Why tell me, is there something wrong with you?" a baritone of a voice came from across the walkway, across the few feet of grass and up onto the veranda quick and surly.

Tali had been leaning on the white railing lost in her conundrum. Immediately did she spring out of her reverie bringing with her the flesh of feminine indignation. Her eyes arrested upon a fair rooster of a man grown old by way of a thick topping of white hair and an extraneous looking mustache, stove black, with a kind of wrapped appearance like as he'd set it in rags overnight. Immediately Tali saw that the lout looked down his nose at the girl, which was a very long way down in her opinion. The edges of his thin lips turned up slightly as the two slits that were his eyes registered her response. He moved on not waiting for her reply, followed by his clucking chattel of a family, the ugly mother hen and her four ugly chicks, their heads held mockingly high and sniffing the air as though anything, but their own sweet scent was a putrid irritant and not to be tolerated. When the last one had closed the door behind him, Tali was toppled over by this malevolent parade. Forgetting her previous dilemma, she pulled herself up onto her feet and began marching up and down alongside the house getting up a real haughty air by cocking her head and screwing up her face in a wasteful, prideful way. Then she fractured her posture by sticking her backside out and strutting about with the same halting step-kind of walk that made up the parade. After several yards into her hobbly-walk and directly in front of the big French doors, she was halted by a "Popsy? What are you doing?" It was Zev.

"Oh Zev!"

Forgetting the tender grudge, she'd been nursing by being treated unfairly by the boys of late, she burst into riotous laughter.

"Oh Zev, if you could have seen that rooster and his family. I'm sure there's no telling what strange creatures people can become," she said.

Zev smiled a knowing smile, because he had just passed the cagey caravan, and having his father's good humor had to hide a madcap laugh. Part of that humor informed the girl judiciously, "Tali, that rooster and his family are your relatives!"

Tali's smile disappeared and the boy found himself face to face with that errant grudge.

"Zev take that back! It's high time I told you what I think about you."

The boy realized too late, what he'd done. Tali saw the hurt look staring out from under those inky lashes and uttered her willingness to pardon him if he took back the vile comment.

"I wish I could Tali," he said. "But I overheard them being introduced to Father. They're your cousins." Tali stared in disbelief.

On the following morning at breakfast Miss MacIntyre accepted the true facts of life. Mr. Orville Eric Castlebalm was Burdenas's brother, and his four toady minotaurs, Tali's cousins. The news would have stung like a scorpion if other alluring matters had not taken up residence in her thoughts.

This very morning she'd awakened to the most alluring sensation. Looking up at the lace canopy, it had become a dreamy iridescent pink, while the hand-painted roses on the antique bureau looked almost as real as the real lush roses whose scent drifted up to the bed. She crushed her face into her pillow and the sweet smell of fresh linen awakened her senses even more. Suddenly her eyes came into focus. She spun awake. What was happening?

Without thinking, she leapt to her feet and bounded to the window. The sweet smell of freshly mown grass invaded her nostrils. After taking in the landscape and seeing the blue, blue waters edging the coastline, she noticed that the haystacks were looking all rolled up as if the fields had set their hair in rollers overnight. The big languorous cows were showing off their mottled-frocks; and the sheep stood out in their stove-black ears and wooly coats. The big boorish bull looked about superstitiously. Tampering with such heavenly tranquility might turn him into something frightful if not annihilate him completely.

Tali took hold of the long flowing curtains that puddled at her feet.

Oh Thunder! Thunder you darling creature! You have done this to me!

For several moments the big beautiful stallion over in the west pasture captured her mind. Tali could see herself mastering the horse and riding him bareback, and when the time was right breaking him into saddle. All at once, the most radical thought crowded her brain waves. She dropped the hand-clenched curtains and spun around as though a mysterious invader had spoken the most outrageous news.

"Oh, dear heavens! Ariel!" she cried.

Yesterday's events came back to her. She thought about that love word again, that word she'd heard talked about and whispered about and even wondered about in the odd spare moments of growing up; and to think she had been spending all her time hanging out with that Tom boy, that horrible fetid fellow! Well, he would be gotten rid of at once. But what of the formidable matter of becoming a bona fide girl? She climbed back up onto the bed unable to comprehend the path she would follow. Why, it had been so unnatural to her only yesterday. What should she do? Suddenly it appeared. Instinct!

Instinct had come out to meet her. Instinct would come to the rescue. Within minutes she was visited by the ghost of Ivana Gablehurst, and as though following her, she was in and out of closets, making selections, wiggling into one confection after another. She managed a zipper here, another there, then drew a gloved hand up to her face to mask a sudden rush of shyness; and curtsying just so, she began throwing knowing glances to imagined lovesick admirers, thus baring the fairer side of femininity. Finally, stretching the limits of her gender, she took to mastering the batting of one's lashes.

Feeling somewhat settled, her mind flashed back to the stallion over in the west pasture. Thoughts of the beautiful black stallion flooded her head. It would be two whole days until she could see Thunder again. She remembered her agreement with Grandfather. Well for two whole days, she would parade around Banbury Cross in as many 'confections' as the law, or protocol would allow.

## CHAPTER FOURTEEN

THOSE HATFIELD BOYS

AT LAST, THE GABLEHURST country vacation ended. For all their conniving ways, they did have a color and a flair that would be sorely missed. Gordon gave the nod when asked if he would drive the couple to the airport. The couple found that their corporate responsibilities were pulling them in all directions. At the last minute, Burdena and Lyla, Esther and Doctor Ben agreed to seeing them off.

Piling out the door together, Monty took up the charge commandeering everyone into the waiting Rolls intimating he'd made adequate arrangements for them to be returned to the inn. With that as his last pronouncement, the car whipped out of the driveway leaving Ivana's long red silk scarf waving regally in the wind.

Soon after a sickly, blue sedan crawled into the driveway, and the Bed & Breakfast was visited by two sorry, middle-aged men, who parked as far into the drive as they could get. They exited their car and then strode confidently in the direction of the inn. When they reached the veranda, they turned towards the great French doors ignoring the girl standing in the doorway, as one might ignore a household pet. Once inside they began looking around for some assistance, and when Tali presented herself, and it was ascertained that a mere, girl, would handle the business at hand, a surreptitious glance was exchanged between the two men. One of them, a Mr. Hatfield, a Mr. Wayne Hatfield, stepped forward in a quiet, sheltering way. He began speaking in a low tone with discretion and concern to report the fact that both he and his brother Wagner were caused to endure the most unforgiving upset of their lives, and that while on their journey through the province, they had been put upon and robbed. Yes, it had happened at the hotel where they were staying over in Summerside. It was a nice little hotel and a nice little town despite the disaster. Not to worry. They would like to rent a room and if the lovely young lady__Tali? If Tali would be gracious enough to allow the Gentleman, the Mr. Wayne Hatfield, to telephone his sister in Montreal, the sister would quickly contact his bank on Monday morning to have additional funds sent to this Banbury Cross address.

Tali was a mite timorous. In truth, she was directly opposed to committing herself and Banbury Cross to this kind of arrangement. But as the man was so self-assured and so polite, and as his brother, the clone, looked on so pathetically, she relented.

"My dear Miss MacIntyre did you say? Well, my dear you are doing us a service," he lauded.

While waiting for the operator to come on line he added,

"Our funds will be arriving within two weeks. You are certainly to be commended for your kind trust in human nature, my dear girl."

Reaching the sister in Montreal, he explained the unfortunate and untimely circumstances, gave her express instructions for the remittance of new funds to be forwarded through the mails to the Banbury Cross Bed & Breakfast over in Cornwall by the Sea and, yes, yes, Prince Edward Island; and would she not carry on so. Yes, they were all right now that they were basking under the kind and gracious eaves of Banbury Cross.

"Now good-bye Charlotte! Don't worry, dear! Good-bye!"

Turning back to Tali a thin smile that was rifled with wild calculation and eyes that burned Machiavellian, shot out at her. Then, in another instant, the smooth syrupy affectation washed over them as he deftly inquired,

"Might you show us to our room now Miss MacIntyre? And did I mention that we would be requesting a room far from the street my sweet? You see a bad back fell on my brother Wagner of late and the noise from the traffic going by on the streets these days jars the wits out of a person," said Mr. Wayne Hatfield.

Staring Tali down, as if to chase any untoward thoughts far, and away from that pretty head, the girl finally broke from his gaze and motioned to Ariel who had just entered the Inn. Offering himself up as the new porter in residence, Tali thanked him and handed him the keys to the gold room. The two men scrambled to help with the suitcases and retire to their room. Tali called out to the departing figures,

"Extra linens and towels should you need them are in the linen closet in the hallway, the door with the gold L on it!"

When the men had departed, she closed the ledger then wandered out onto the veranda. She leaned her head against the awning-covered windows; those hooded eyes that kept watch over the verdant lawn and yawning pasture, and even managed a running log of the daily tides.

Captain Blood was sitting in his cage castigating himself for being taken in by the likes of these MacIntyres who put him to bed these days at all hours. Only when Tali struck up a conversation did he become a tad bit assuaged, but on and on she went prattling about this divine one, this Ariel! The bird had to gather all his birdly wits to even begin to decipher what in tarnation was going on with the girl.

"Now Captain Blood, tell me, did you ever see such eyes? And arms, so strong, so protective? No, you've not. That's telling the truth. And mark this down, Captain Blood. I love that man and I mean to have him if it's the last thing I do."

As she turned from the window, something caught the corner of her eye. She looked up to behold Ariel standing in the doorway. He had come to report that the new arrivals were requesting room service.

This was romance's worst nightmare. She was exposed, mortified. Naked as a baby's bottom!

"Ariel, you__you frightened me," she stammered.

Before the boy could react, something had pushed the girl's fright and flight button. She slid past the boy headlong into oblivion. There'd be no getting over this.

In the meantime, Ariel tried to make sense of what he'd heard. What did the girl say?

"I love that man Captain Blood and I mean to have him if it's the last thing I do?"

Did that mean what he thought it meant? The girl loved him? A faint twist of a smile broke out into a shameless grin.

## CHAPTER FIFTEEN

GRANDFATHER KEEPS HIS PROMISE

WHEN THE JAZZY Rolls Royce swooned back into the inn driveway, several peering pirates left their ship high up in the big Elm tree. Landed treasure was at hand. Gordon MacIntyre was in rare form and they clung to every word once the beloved Irishman began his blessed account.

"Aye and it's I've been telling me-self it's the saints in heaven have been interceding for us, n' me own mother sure to be among them; for it's nothing short of a miracle that we'd be returning home with a patent leather beauty like this sunny Rolls, if ye don't mind me saying so!" he merried.

Shouts of yippee yippee aye went up like firecrackers. The boys were checking out the tires and that outrageous spare tire so artfully articulated onto the back of the royal carriage. Here was an important lady in a bustle. Happiness whistled its way into the manse and joy bounced from room to room. Several of the guests including the two Hatfield brothers found their way outdoors to feast their eyes upon Banbury Cross' new icon of luxury. Gordon would quickly abandon the fogy old Ford shouting that things would not set right were he not to be showing his appreciation by sporting about in the Rolls.

"Never can tell what folks might be reporting round these parts. You just can never tell," he said. "And not showing me appreciation would be an intoleration almost akin to suffering damnation! There! I said it!"

Tali red-faced finally did come to herself; down the stairs she came to face the world, and Ariel. Being a mature fellow, Ariel initiated a steady flow of conversation aimed at reducing those red cheeks. Meanwhile Grandfather, true to his word, could be seen walking along Shore Road over toward the west pasture. Tali was a capital girl in the old man's eyes. She was spit and fire like the best of the MacIntyres. As he stumbled along the red clay road, ignoring a frame that was all tangled up with that danged arthritis, he stole a glance at the girl.

Immediately he could feel a twinge of the old spirit as a twinkle caught him in the eye. It appeared just as Tali was exclaiming joyfully,

"We'll make a great team Grandfather, and don't be giving up on Thunder because he's just dying to love us. He's going to be the pride of the MacIntyres and the pride of the island!"

Compellingly, his arm went around the girl. She pulled on his argyle sweater and leaned over to kiss his cheek. Her great blue cornflower eyes tarried upon his face.

"You're the twinkle in me eye Grandfather!"

"Aye and is it that you'll be bringing home all A's like your father was after doing?" he said.

"Aye and would ye be thinking it's I'd be doing anything less than me dear Papa when it's the famous MacIntyre name I'm havin' to uphold?" she rattled off in perfect dialect.

The man's complexion turned Firecracker red.

"Yes, and it's a name well worth upholding. But to be given credit where credit is due, regarding your Papa, going off to become a horse doctor n' all, it's his mother the boy was taking after, what with her good head for business and being the type that puts her nose to the grindstone," he said.

Now as they were nearing the pasture Tali could see that Grandfather's thoughts had pulled away to a place known only to himself. When finally, he spoke, he was off in that other place.

"Aye and it was the other half that was just like me; she was all of me lass."

Tali eyed her grandfather. Here was the chance to solve at least one of the family mysteries. She measured her words.

"Grandfather, I don't ever see pictures of Emily at Banbury Cross? Why doesn't Grandmother keep pictures of her daughter?"

He threw a glance in Tali's direction hoping one good look would shut her up.

"Why Grandfather?" she asked.

The man's head went back and forth, his hair flashed about. He was hit head on.

"Ah now! No one wants to be telling a story with a bad ending girl; and would you look here, Thunder is waiting for us. Me thinks he's heared too many a sad tale in his own short life, so we'll leave it in peace," he said.

Tali sympathized with the old man as far as it went. She had lost Papa. She knew what it was like walking around with a hole in your heart. But there was no way she was going to stamp out Papa's memory. A numbing feeling crawled over her.

Poor Grandfather. Poor wretch.

From the daily visits, Thunder would get to know instinctively whenever Tali and the grandfather were approaching. The stallion would approach the fence at galloping speed at the precise moment of their arrival. Then breaking he'd get himself stirred up prancing around and whinnying and pawing the air. Never coming up to them mind you and breaking away whenever they tried to advance towards him; but Gordon was encouraged nonetheless. Before Tali had come along, the horse had lived entirely to himself, a wild free spirit, with only wind and sea and sky able to touch him.

But Thunder was still a young enough horse as Tali had pointed out. His future was still in front of him. Looking at the horse the man let out a deep sigh. It was clear something inside the horse was breaking, something that long needed breaking. Seems something inside the man was breaking too. Not one to be given over to introspection, he may not have understood, that he lived with a deep-seated so threatening that he'd built a wall around it. It was the fear of having to face a future without his Emily. But the wall was so fragile that if he got too close, the wall would break, and he'd go headlong down into the abyss. So, he kept himself far from the edge, let the little wife put away all the pictures, then kept his conversations and his musings out there on the periphery so he wouldn't get too close, so he wouldn't fall headlong into despair.

Now as he looked over at his granddaughter, something said that perhaps this high-spirited girl had come into his life to give him back his future. How many times had he had to catch himself to keep from calling her Emily?

## CHAPTER SIXTEEN

YARON'S BLACK EYE

SEPTEMBER MADE A BIG SPLASH when she deposited some spectacular autumn weather. Neither Tali nor any of the Lanzbaums had ever seen a North American autumn. The colors on the trees changed dramatically becoming brilliant in their hues of yellow, gold and Tyrian, russet, red and orange, plus every shade of brown and green. The skies became grays and the grays turned yellow pink and violet.

The pumpkins were hanging out in crippling smiles for this was the Lanzbaum's first attempt at making pumpkin faces; but it sure did add more glee to the season; the late afternoons turned saffron yellow and the air was sweet but crackly crisp. The tall grasses bowed down incessantly and the sails on all the boats were fat and billowy. The wind whipped the sea into little white caps of whipped cream then hurried inland as wind-blown skirts could be seen scurrying in and out of the village shops; and those broomstick sentinels dressed up in vagrant's clothes played in the fields long past harvest time making little Mattai and Moshe imagine all kinds of colorful imaginings. One afternoon they were nearly accosted by a pair of rampaging raccoons. Tali made every effort at keeping them calm, but no one could convince them that the four-legged creatures had not shown up in dreadful masks to frighten and overtake them. Everybody laughed so, but finally Mother said she would try to speak to the wretched creatures and be rid of them.

Unknown to anyone at Banbury Cross, Benjamin Lanzbaum was in a quandary over what he should do about his future. Should they leave the inn and obtain a house in the village? The boys had never been as happy as at Banbury Cross and Esther took such pleasure in her surroundings. How would she manage the keeping of a house now? That was the big question. That was the bottom line. It hit him dead center, she would not manage. She was entirely too frail. The strain would be the end of her. The Lanzbaums should sit tight. Besides, should the British begin to go down the way of the French there was the bloody possibility he would have to enlist. He was a doctor. England was his homeland. Benjamin Lanzbaum took a deep breath. First things first. The boys were enrolled in school, good students all, right down to the twins. As for their Hebrew studies, the older boys would teach the younger and the doctor would oversee their progress.

A letter arrived from the Gablehursts. Gone was the gay hilarity and carefree way they'd left the island. Their letter voiced concern bordering on apprehension. England had declared war on Germany. Both men and arms were being shipped in great quantities to stem the tide. That bully dread was ripping up the Brits that England might be invaded as was France; and some business acquaintance that the Gablehursts had run into had said that things were not going well for the Jews who were living on the Continent.

The United States was keeping a watchful eye on the situation. Mr. Roosevelt was set on jumping into the melee. But the American people were shying away from the thought of sending their sons across the sea to their deaths. Canada stood with England for politics had bound them together, and each night at dinner news came of another Canadian boy who'd enlisted or was taken into the service.

The days were getting shorter and the air had turned a clear, crystal marigold. The evening meals pulled everyone to the table, both family and guests alike. People from all over the countryside found it a real olfactory treat when passing by the inn when the wind was spinning around just right; and that reservation only status became common fare even in off season, as three or more of the big round tables filled up making Lyla's toothy grin unmanageable.

It was a pretty spot this Banbury Cross. When night would finally come, Tali would sit by her window looking out over the sea. Passing ships would wink and starry nights would laugh at their flickering attempts. On these nights, Tali would sit up in her window pondering the great mysteries of life, of how she had come to this glorious place and where the future would take her. She wondered about the war across the sea and was thankful to be far, and away with her loved ones on this princely little island.

School became the greatest invention following maidenhood. For it was within the four walls of the schoolhouse that she could be close to Ariel. At Banbury Cross, there were always errands to be run. Ariel was becoming indispensable to the entire workings of the inn. Gordon was might proud of the little aristocrat, as he called him, for he was mindful of his pedigree and mindful of his quick mind and talents. So, when Mr. Waterman was called away to the mainland down to Bridgewater and Zev was laid up with a sprained foot, Ariel volunteered to tend to the animals. It pleased Gordon no end to see the young man take to learning the ways of each member of the barn and doing a better job than him these days. They'd be Ariel busy with the cows, running an errand for Gordon, shearing the sheep, or running into town in the Rolls for some forgotten kitchen condiment or spice, and usually with the twins and Ghani hanging out the windows and shouting out in glee.

Tali managed her chores and school work but the growing passion for the firebrand stallion and that deeper passion for Ariel was what swirled around her until she was dizzy; and while the horse was elusive, at least he was contained in his pasture. Ariel, on the other hand, was here, there and everywhere, even if in passing he would smile and mention her name. Still life went on.

Early one morning, while the men folk were busy with early daylight chores, Burdena decided breakfast could wait. She'd finally come around to telling Lyla that her coming to the island and her coming to the inn was a gift right out of mail order heaven. She claimed she was letting up for the first time in years, so she could enjoy life.

Fact was dear sweet Emily had somehow been reincarnated, and the strain of keeping the granddaughter and the dead girl in two separate bodies sapped her mental resolve. How good it was to have big-strapping, big-hearted Lyla in the mix.

As Lyla sipped her strong brew, she considered for a moment that the woman had gone and called Tali 'Emily' at least three times. Lyla scratched her head in bewilderment.

Just now Gordon stuck his head into the kitchen. The man was coming in with Ariel and Zev looking for the boys' breakfast and for his first cup of coffee. Coming upon the two vagrants, he stared in disbelief.

"Ah 'tis a sad day when I'm missing me coffee when Aye arrive back from my chores," he bellowed.

"Sheamus MacIntyre you're early. That's the problem."

Gordon looked at the clock then troubled his mustache. He scratched his head then went to let in the dog.

Father Lanzbaum was sleeping in with Esther this morning. He had been up all night answering a call from over in Summerside. Tali was looking forward to school these days giving the younger Lanzbaums serious misgivings about this girl who not so long ago protested the very idea of school. Must be a girl for you they concluded.

Still, they were mesmerized by Tali, by her playful ebullient personality. They loved to watch her transform herself into any character from all those books she'd read and by now, they all had their favorites.

"C'mon Tali," David begged the girl, "we're the only ones here. Bring out the Queen of Hearts."

"I think it's time you all presented me with some of your impersonations," she said getting up out of her seat and wandering over to a stack of linen.

"Popsy. We're bored. Bring out the Queen of Hearts," Daniel pleaded.

"Well, I don't know," she responded fingering her way down the pile and removing a bright red napkin. Walking back to the table she stopped suddenly and let the red cloth flash across her face. The Queen of Hearts had arrived. An imperial, imposing creature, puffed up with eyes glaring, nose sniffing the air and words electrifying the atmosphere.

***

'Who's been painting my roses red?

WHO'S BEEN PAINTING MY ROSES RED?

Who dares to taint

With vulgar paint

The royal flower bed?

For painting my roses red.

Someone will lose his head!'

(Turning and putting her back to her viewers the audience would hear from the card painter delivering his part in a manifestly squeaky voice.)

'Oh no Your Majesty, please! It's all his fault.'

'Not me your grace! The ace, the ace!

(The queen spins around with a booming)

'You?'

(To the back)

No, two!

(To the front)

The deuce you say?'

(To the back)

'Not me! The three!

(To the front)

That's enough! Off with their heads!

A resounding clap issued forth as Zev and Ariel entered the dining room.

Oh no!

Ariel was watching. Tali's performances always precluded Ariel. What if he did not approve of her play-acting? The girl saved her performing for Zev whom she considered her counter-part. She had not one inkling that from the moment she'd appeared on the staircase in that lovely gown at Yaron's bar mitzvah, he was secretly as much in love with her as she was secretly in love with Ariel.

"Hey Bro!" Daniel called out to Zev.

"Hey little Bro," the athletic Lanzbaum shot back while taking the open seat next to Tali. Ariel sat opposite.

"How are classes going?" Zev asked.

Tali enjoyed Zev's attention. He kept the conversation flowing.

"Everything is wonderful Zev. I've decided I'm going to become a writer," she answered matter-of-factly. The romantic wisdom in the schoolyard declared, 'Win over the mother and you get the boy.'

"Moshe and Mattai," said Ariel. "I have permission from Mr. MacIntyre to be giving you a lift on the spare tractor over to the lighthouse after school if you like. Mr. Mac says the Captain will be waiting for you. He even has him practicing your names. "MO-she and MaTTaye, like that!"

The boys stole glances at one another, but shyness snapped off their tongues when everyone stared in their direction. All they could do was bob their heads up and down in sweet affirmation.

Yaron, having stayed after school two days in a row, had managed to hear quite a turn of gossip. Now that Father and Mother were absent from table he could have at it; besides which, no one had been able to get out of him how it happened that he'd come home from school with a black eye. Inextricably, the thought of returning to the scene of the crime was beginning to disturb him.

"Listen," he began, "What do you think of that Odie fellow? I think they should have named him Odious Odie Castlebalm."

Glitzy smiles greeted his comment.

"Look at my battle scar. I got it from that big bully creep with the viperous tongue; but not before I managed to slam one home on him. I might be smaller than he is but I'm dead accurate.

"Good for you," Daniel encouraged.

"Yeah, he deserves a beating," chimed in David.

Yaron feeling propped up continued. "He made a terrible accusation against Mr. MacIntyre. Said he was one of those people everybody had in their closets. I didn't waste a second. I told him to shut his mouth even though I didn't know anything about closets but coming from that spineless peasant I wasn't taking any chances. But he shouted that if he wanted to take him out of the closet it was his right."

The whole table rocked with indignation. No one was going to speak unkindly of Mr. Mac, especially not that tasteless, taunting, toadie, Odie!

Ariel taking the situation in hand threw a silencing glance over to his wounded brother.

"Yaron, this is not the place to be discussing closets as you put it. Father and Mother would be extremely reproving. You had a fight and we hope that it was fair; moreover, we hope you came out the winner. Shall we agree on that brother?" Ariel asked.

The air went out of Yaron's sails. His black and blue eye couldn't decide which color was more appropriate for the moment. Tali looked across the table and caught Ariel's eye. She blushed, and he smiled his wonderful smile.

## CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

THE SCHOOLYARD GOSSIP

THE TROOPS GATHERED their schoolbooks, said their goodbyes and headed out the big French doors. It was to be one of those lardy dardy days. As they headed up the road, Tali bumped along having little notion that jarring news awaited her under the big Maple tree.

The morning's intrigue had set itself upon her and before she would ever reach that funky, dunky schoolhouse, its rightful Lanzbaum name, it would be crawling all over her. Now as they made their way out into the morning sunshine, did she ever see the great stretches of blue sky riding down to meet the great wide strait, itself bedecked in a glorious pebble blue? Did she cast her eye upon the prickly bramble bushes that promised baskets full of berries next season? Or did those red clay roads that wound around the back of Mr. Schroeder's meadow then fell off into the deep piney forest, did they catch her eye? Did she notice her being welcomed by the meadow grasses, as they stepped out of the woods, just in time to see the cold wind combing their hair, and them greeting the youngins and sending them on their way down to the glen? Perhaps, she saw the rooftops sitting around catching up on sunshine, waiting to offer weary travelers the warmth and camaraderie that lay within their hallowed walls. Did she wonder after them? She did nothing of the sort!

The determined girl walked briskly out into that morning air and stalked along under that blue canopy of heaven past the sea and around the meadow and was categorically absorbed in the mental debate of whether to presume herself upon Yaron to find out more particulars, and if possible, the whole bloody story of what happened with Odious Odie or whether to remain a lady in her betrothed's eyes. It took Tali exactly up to those piney woods before the debate was settled in favor of the bloody story. Thus, feigning the return of Yaron's compass, the girl bolted on ahead to catch up with the young artisan who was in a flurry to finish his mural before class.

Running past the tall dark trees and up and down little ridges as the clay road directed, she caught up with Yaron breathlessly ferreting down into her bag for the boy's compass. Then biting down on her lower lip, which acted as a starting gate when anything of a contest was facing her, she quickly studied the boy's countenance.

"Yaron, it will sorrow me for the entire day not to know what happened yesterday, and I know I shall do disgracefully in my work. Then that sidewinder Mr. Saddleback will just lie in wait for me, ready to strike. You see don't you how he loves to snake his way around the room looking for any weakness in a person? That's why he asked poor weak little Willie Whittlehouse to open those heavy windows because he knew he couldn't do it Yaron. Then he got to aspirate and groan that he didn't know what the world was coming to with all these weaklings in it. Yaron, I just know that he'll get to capitalize on me today. And that will be just too triumphal for that Odious Odie," she said.

Well, that was the trick that did it. Telling Yaron that Odious Odie was about to experience triumph on any grounds was too much for the boy's discretional training. In short order as the two were nearly approaching the glen and the schoolyards, Yaron filled Tali in on the most salient points of yesterday's pugnacious encounter.

"Ok Popsy," still unaware of her relationship to the Castlebalms. "Odie said that Mr. Mac was a wild Irish horse trader full of bourbon and blarney! Said he was the biggest soused up scamp Prince Edward Island has ever seen."

Once the story was out, Yaron was glad to have told his side of the tale, unaware that, to Tali's ears, the words had pelted the air like angry bullets. Her eyes became huge blue and white marbles, huge swirly marbles that cemented right on the spot into one hundred per cent hatred for Oden Castlebalm, that no count cousin, Odious Odie.

Tali thanked Yaron for the information and for saving her from old Saddlebacks. She had thoroughly convinced him of her fish story. The fact that she was not in the least intimidated by that wily rascal of intimidation served to mollify the girl. Intimidated by that sidewinder? Never! People like Mr. Saddleback only produced ire in the girl, ire that might know no bounds at all, were it not for the fact that Ariel was in attendance. With Ariel in attendance, Tali would be the perfect lady. Since this was to be Ari's last year at Cornwall, it might be her only chance to win him, although now due to her test-scores it looked as though she would be finishing as well. Try as she might, her Irish blood kept near to the boiling mark all day. Somehow, she would make it through and not think about Yaron's confession, or that ire might boil away, and she would have her way with Odious Odie.

That afternoon the troops came home to find Doctor Lanzbaum cranking up the old puddle jumper to keep it from sliding into its certain grave. Ghani and Esther had perched themselves in the front seat while Burdena and Lyla took up the rear. When the doctor suggested the Rolls might be more worthy of their company, Burdena shuttered her eyes darkly.

"We don't want the countryside getting the notion that we're too uppity!" she cranked. "It's just as well we remain common folk. It's better for business."

One might suspect she didn't want the Rolls gobbling up all the credit for her hard-earned work. The young folk gathered round the old Ford, little magpies all, gabbling about the day's activities and enjoying their freedom. The elders looked happy to share in their exuberance and happy to be enjoying their own good day. No one seemed to notice that Tali was not quite herself excepting Doctor Ben. He threw a question mark in her direction, but the girl just tossed him a grouchy kiss and continued on her way.

It seems that, during lunch hour, several of the girls had gathered under the big old Maple tree, the one that had tried desperately to hang onto its flaming orange tresses but had lost them to the autumn winds. And Mary Gilder was the one who said it. That tall gangling girl who lived it seemed only to make people laugh. She was entertaining and Tali had taken to her right off.

"Girls," she said informing them of the story of her Aunt Maranda's Bed & Breakfast over in Victoria. "It seems there's a pair of city-slicking, hooligans marauding across the island in an old blue sedan, plundering all the Bed & Breakfasts."

"Oh," said two of the girls in unison.

"You can't imagine the chicanery they employ girls. They come up with the story that they have been put upon, they've been put upon," she laughed.

"Put upon by thieves!" she cried. "Put upon and all their money stolen. Then they make a call to some fictitious sister in Montreal telling her to send money! Aunt Miranda later found that no call was charged to Montreal; the rascal probably had his finger down on the receiver. Well, the two of them stay on until they are finally told to pay up. Then they make their exit; and the novelty of that exit goes far beyond the borders of hilarity. It is downright madcap!"

With that, the girl broke off into peals of laughter. That got the attention of Mr. Sidewinder Saddleback. He slivered over peering out at all the girls from those little green slits as he stalked around scratching his bald head trying to look blasé. Of course, the story had been stifled, and only when a scuffle between one Marky Johnson and Peter Jonas erupted, did he sidewind his way over to the boys' side of the yard to break it up. Now Mary Gilder had the chance to finish her report.

"Oh girls, wait till you hear the rest; try not to be scandalized. You know we live in a depraved world. Mrs. Morrison is always saying so at Sunday school.

Well here goes! Are you ready? Ok! Here goes! The two of them go upstairs to their room. Then when everyone has gotten busy with his work, down comes one of them. Are you ready? Now don't faint anybody! Ok!" she cried looking around as if to conquer anybody of a squeamish nature.

"This first one is dressed only in a towel. Yes, a big towel wrapped around his waist while something white and frothy is pouring out of his mouth. I guess you could say the man is foaming, foaming at the mouth!"

Several of the girls gasped aloud. One girl had the audacity to shriek, and everyone stared.

"Now girls get hold of yourselves. It turns out the pasty foam was toothpaste, and how am I going to keep Mr. Saddleback at bay if you keep gasping and interrupting?" she quaked.

So, everyone assumed a stock-still posture, and everybody quieted down.

Now Mary intoned, "Ready girls? Here goes! Now right after, the second man comes hurrying out trying to help escort this epileptic down the stairs!"

"Ohhhhhhhhh!" Ginger McFee squealed until all the girls shushed her three times.

"Right behind this, this sick man," Mary said staring down Ginger McFee. "Right behind this sick one comes this well-dressed fellow in a handsome suit and top hat; and as I said, escorting and helping the foamy-mouthed wretch down the stairs hollering, 'It's Ok folks! It's ok folks!' as they edge forward with the sick man flailing his arms and staring wildly out of bulging eyes; and the other one reassuring everyone,

"It's all right! I'm a doctor! I'm a doctor!" until they're out the door leaving everyone stunned silly."

Mary finished the story assuring the girls it was a slick means of getting away without paying the bill. After all, who would be so uncaring as to be demanding room and board at such a troubling time? It would be bawdy, as Papa says, and it's just what their Byzantine brains bank on. Course they'd already thrown their suitcases out of the upstairs window out in back. All that was left was to jam themselves and their baggage into their waiting car to be off and up the road in search of their next victims.

Mary wasted little time in explaining that the police were on to them and it was only going to be a matter of time until they'd have them, or until they would run out of Bed & Breakfasts, whichever came first. Then she added that all decent folk around the island were praying they'd soon be caught since during their last episode, the towel that enclosed the first wretch had fallen off and several guests were made privy to his floundering under draws.

Tali MacIntyre was incensed. Why, those slick n' sleazy sons of Sassafras! Trying to put one over on the MacIntyres! In a different time and place Tali would quite relish the challenge of turning the little escapade back upon these Hatfield heads. But given the delicate situation that existed at Banbury Cross with a weakened and frail woman like Esther Lanzbaum, their actions became criminally moronic. Esther Lanzbaum would be mortified. Tali remembered the tragic pig incident, and that was back when the woman had considerably more strength. Well, she admitted them to the inn. She would give them the boot. But calling the police could create more drama and embarrassment for the inn.

At the end of the day, Tali still had not devised a plan of attack. She must get home. Who could know what might precipitate this ghastly exit. Grandmother might see in the ledger that the lumps had not paid and accost them. By the time the girl hurried off her chores and stepped into the family parlor, the big Grandfather clock said 3:54 P.M. Those Hatfield brothers would be gallivanting around the island until 4:30 P.M. when their circadian apparatus would bring them straight back into the driveway drooling for dinner. Unvarnished revenge was not an option. This was not the life of despoil out on the Serengeti.

Suddenly the girl had a flash back of her life in Africa. She could see that poor traveling salesman hobbling along in his covered wagon trying to eke out a living selling his wares, and she, telling him that her father, having used the old man's shampoo, had taken his poor bald head off in search of the authorities. There he was, poor wretch, falling all over himself trying to gather his wares and be up and out of the territory before being apprehended for having divested the father of his very full head of hair.

Then there were those Messianics always on a mission and willing to travel halfway round the world to fulfill it, and more often than naught intersecting with the MacIntyres who were always in need of a governess. Not that any of them could last. She remembered the estate administrator telling Lyla, one instructor had charged,

'She is not malicious; she is just mischievous.'

The last one succumbed the morning of her third day, when the lion cub showed up for the lesson. Miss Ida Weatherbee. Cotton that! Well in the here and now, Tali MacIntyre would cotton nothing less than the removal of these Hatfield scalawags.

At 4:00 P.M., the big red tractor was treading home and barreling into the stony driveway dropping off its tender passengers and a weary Captain. Ariel and Zev had gone to bring the cows home for milking. Averill Waterman came alongside as Gordon alighted from the tractor. A brief discussion ensued over how to handle a sick cow. In the meantime, Tali was pacing back and forth across the great parlor. It was some time before she looked up to discover her grandfather standing by the door staring in her direction. The man had already concluded that some mishap of serious proportion was either underway or progressing in that direction. His lusty brogue sliced the air.

"Out with-it Miss! Out with it!" the man bellowed. Grandfather soon learned this was a problem properly handled by a man. When Tali resisted, the grandfather persisted.

"You stay in the house. Tis an order. And rip that confounded page out of that register. Those boys were never here girl. Remember that. They'll be no more trouble and no more Hatfield boys. You just go and make yourself pretty for dinner lass. We'll be seeing Thunder tomorrow night if'n that's acceptable." he said looking past the girl as though following a part of him that had already departed.

Tali watched the man stride across the room and open a wide mahogany cabinet. Out came a lazy Susan and on it sat two dozen shiny bottles. He poured out a big glass of a warm glowing drink and stood there blazing, stroking his beard then stroking the glass. He seemed to be murmuring to himself, fuming and unaware. Then abruptly, he lifted the tall glass, threw back his head and pounded the drink down his gullet. When he'd put the cover on the bottle and returned it to the shelf, he then snatched out three bottles, tucked them under his arms and closed the cabinet. Then he turned in the direction of the barn. Upon hearing the banging of the great French doors, Tali knew he was gone.

## CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

UNDERNEATH THE MURKY DOCKS

A WEEK LATER THE NEWS spread like wildfire across the countryside, both hither and yon, that an old blue sedan fitting the description of the one owned by those scalawags had been sunk beneath the docks along the back inlet leading into Charlottetown Harbor. The news had come by way of___ who else but that Mary Gilder, whose father, as it happened, kept his languid dory moored along the docks. Tali's pallor paled to the most pallid color that it had ever paled underneath that newsy-old Maple tree. Now what had she done? Could it be that she'd turned an ugly embarrassment into a murderous transaction? What had Grandfather gone and done? She couldn't remember exactly what Mary said, that they found empty liquor bottles on the dock and that perhaps these fancy cheats had gotten drunk and sank to their murky deaths? The words fancy cheats somehow sounded a mite too harsh now, when one had to envision them at the bottom of the inlet to the harbor. She longed to run home to her grandfather to have him tell her that everything was going to be all right. But he--

"Miss MacIntyre, if you insist on daydreaming, perhaps you should write the fantasy scene for the Christmas Pageant," shouted Mister Saddleback.

Old Sidewinder called on her to make a recitation. Tali blushed but none of the usual color came into that dread countenance. Once her recitation got underway it did add to the drama.

The long walk home from school became a walk straight to the gallows. How could she bear to meet Grandfather for the walk over to the west pasture at four o'clock? He would be asking for her and the Lanzbaum boys would say she was not feeling well. There was no lie in that tale. Tali stole away to her room. Images of the Hatfield brothers tramped through her mind. When dinnertime came around, she descended the stairs like a ghost, and in true ghostly fashion, could not abide even the smell of food. How she longed for her Papa.

Oh, Lyla was a love. Lyla would keep the secret. For Tali's sake, the woman would go to her grave to keep this dark secret. But after the telling how could she weather up under that Madagascar gaze? She could not. And telling Grandmother was out of the question. And who else could be trusted? This required a close family member and she had none. Oh, there was Doctor Ben. She knew she could trust her friend. But was it fair to add another burden to the man?

Tonight, the buffet was arrayed with several tempting dishes beyond the usual bounty. How Tali longed to see those Hatfield boys. She herself would fill their plates and line them up for seconds and then thirds. Those Hatfield boys as Grandfather had called them in that strange waggish way, oh that they might be returned to the inn. Some other less despicable solution could be found for their removal. The thought now of police cars coming out to Banbury Cross to take them to their just rewards seemed such a harmless thing to befall the inn. One moment of embarrassment in trade for an eternity of that exquisite shalom that the Lanzbaums spread around like cream cheese on Shabbat! Oh shalom! Where was that sweet shalom for Tali? People went to jail for murder. How could this be happening? Grandfather was not a criminal. Was he? He couldn't have actually killed these two. Think. Think. There must be an explanation.

Just as she was escaping that, first sense of shock, it blatantly occurred to her, Why Grandfather has been with me all week and he's been....so happy...with...himself...and...with...me and with the boys. Why he's been more joyful than I've ever seen him. How can this be? Oh, no! It can't be he's rejoicing over this.... he could go to jail. Even face the gallows.

As these dread thoughts galloped away in that Macintyre head, and while the evening meal was fully under way, the grandfather himself, his whole being fired up, burst into the dining hall. His green eyes bulged. The troubled man hastily removed his big wide-brimmed hat. His hair was so matted it was coming out in pancakes. Clearing his throat, he began a full-throated cry. The troubled girl could not rein in her thoughts with enough speed to have his words register at once. Her head pounded. Then with arms flailing and an abrupt flash of the hat, he turned and strode swiftly away leaving his companion arthritis behind to fend for himself.

All the men at Banbury Cross including Ariel and Zev, dropped their utensils, pulled away from the tables and headed out into the cold night air. Tali rose up from table just as Esther removed herself from the line, her appetite having vanished. Meanwhile Burdena hurried out of the kitchen looking weary and wild-eyed. Tali intercepted her in the great living room.

"Grandmother what is it? Tell me," she entreated pulling at the distraught woman.

The elder MacIntyre, preoccupied, wrenched herself free and headed for the main doors. Tali drew back and turned to walk across the parlor.

"Doctor Lanzbaum!" she said taken by surprise.

"Tali! Whoa there! What is it?" he asked gazing at the troubled girl.

The man had sprained his foot late into the afternoon and was resting in an easy chair. He had been looking over some papers brought to him. Now he tried getting himself to his feet and was reaching his arms out to the bulldozed girl.

"You know," said Doctor Lanzbaum, "I thought you weren't yourself this afternoon, and with me reduced to a mere hobble by this injured foot, and you off and up those stairs so quickly, I didn't have a prayer of finding out if you needed my help. But I can see now that you did," he said.

It was as though hope had tapped her on the shoulder. Steadily, and with determination the doctor limped his way over to the grandmother's study. Burdena had graciously allowed Doctor Ben use of the study for managing scrapes and bruises, headaches and what all, and for his own for reading purposes. Benjamin Lanzbaum put his arm around this girl who only yesterday was his freckled-faced playmate, that girl with those far too heavy pigtails and big jeweled-eyes. Once inside the study the man sank gratefully into the soft leather chair. Tali was in ruins. He could see she was not able to open up to him. He hesitated for a moment then began seeking her confidence.

"Think of your father Tali and then think of his good friend standing in his stead. The girl was blind-sided; mentioning Papa's name. Offering to be there for her in Papa's stead. The story poured out in a torrent. Once Doctor Ben had her begin at the beginning, he heard the story through to its conclusion. At times, he had to fight the urge to laugh, but heard it to its conclusion.

"Tali, in the first place, your Grandmother is not angry with you. I can assure you she knows nothing of this fifth-rate escapade that these Hatfield boys put upon Banbury Cross. Secondly, your grandfather gave you strict orders to rip that page out of the register, and implicit in that instruction was that you would rip it out of your mind and heart as well. Now regarding this last counsel, you may take my word as a good judge of character that you grandfather has not laid one hand on those two hoodwinkers," he attested.

Tali fixed her eyes on the doctor. She wanted positively to be convinced every word was true; but her questioning eyes rebuked them.

"Popsy, listen! I've spent every day since coming to this island over at that lighthouse with your grandfather."

"You have Doctor Ben?"

Ben Lanzbaum smiled and shook his head.

"Tali, every day I go over to the lighthouse and keep your dear old grandfather company for an hour or two and give him a hand with his little projects. See my hands? I still haven't gotten all the gray paint off from painting that old dory yesterday; and how do you think I managed this sprain? Coming down from the top of the lighthouse stairs in too great a hurry this afternoon," he concluded.

Tali was comforted but where were the words that would convince her that Grandfather was innocent.?

"But Doctor Ben what about the Hatfield's car at the bottom of the inlet and the empty liquor bottles found on the dock?" she asked.

"Tali tomorrow is a new day and if everything is back to normal- incidentally your grandmother ran outside because there is a house on fire and that is why all the men disappeared. They are off to join the volunteer fire brigade. - at any rate, tomorrow I shall ask your grandfather if he knows the whereabouts of these two hooligans. Speaking of hooligans, the boys allege that someone in school made some nasty charges against your grandfather. Betsy Waterman came home and told her father, and Mr. to that school after the boy. Mr. Waterman is a great fan of your grandfather's Tali."

The girl listened omnipotently.

"I found Mr. Waterman over on the side of the barn the other day pitching out bales of hay like he was stoking the fires of Gehenna. When I asked if I could do anything for him Waterman was going to go right up he fussed and fumed, but in my best brogue, this is the gist of what the dear man had to say Tal."

"Oh, you're a fine specimen of a man me good doctor and not as the likes of some folk. Them's the folks I can't abide. Never did and I ain't about to neither. They need to be tarred and feathered speaking out against Sheamus MacIntyre. Well me good doctor, they don't knows the half of it. Sure, he was a fun-loving rip-roaring Irishman, an Irish scalawag, if ye will, who was tearing up a one-horse town. And as it was his luck to be owning the most prized steed on the whole Island, he had every reason to celebrate. Ha!" he bellowed.

"But it was honest fun and there warn't nigh a house nor barn that got destroyed by fire, for miles around, that warn't raised up again by those two MacIntyre hands. Old Sheamus MacIntyre was never too tired, too busy, nor too uncaring to be staying away from every house fire, every flood, and every poor man's belly, when it was in his power to be doing somethin' about it. An' the good fellah upstairs always makes it His business to be watching after a man who takes care of God's poor; and me a living example of his generosity. Yes, that's right! None of us Watermans would be here today if it warn't for that good-hearted man. Why that Great Depression was upon us, and just about to swallow us up if it warn't for that man! And to top that off, I ain't never heared him speak an ill word against even the worst sluggard despite all his bellowing, and I'd say that speaks a heap about a man. Yes sir! And you should know what I'm saying cause I hears you're one of Abraham's boys."

Lanzbaum chuckled at that last comment.

"And then I smiled," he said, "And the old farmhand lifted his hat and adding a wink to his smile, turned and went back to pitching hay. Do you see now Popsy?"

Tali's was busy channeling the information into a more complete picture of her grandfather. But one piece of the story was still missing.

"Doctor Ben, I don't understand, if all the stories are true and--"

"Tali all the stories are not true. At least they're not true in the way that some people want to report them. These people want to take a man who was colorful and still is, someone bigger than life, and turn him into a bad act. Now I won't say that he mightn't have been more temperate in his habits; but he's a good man Tali, a good father, good husband, and one of the reasons that I've decided to stay here on the island and set up my practice.

The man's words echoed off the walls and opened up a window of hope. This was a breath of fresh air. It was the first good news she'd heard in days. Good old Doctor Ben.

"I've been all around Charlottetown," he went on to say, "And around to several villages. The island can use another doctor Tali, and especially a good surgeon. At any rate, I've gotten to meet a lot of folks and they all know your grandfather and they respect him greatly," he added.

Just now Burdena MacIntyre was slipping into the room.

"Excuse me Doctor Lanzbaum but there is a guest who is asking to see a doctor. I don't suppose you might give a quick look see. Why Tali dear, you look so worn out. I know all this uproar has been a frightful ordeal for everyone. There's still no word yet how things are going; but I've calmed myself down that everything will be all right.

"Mrs. MacIntyre, I'd like to suggest that Tali go upstairs and take a nice hot bath and get into bed. A hot bath and a good night's sleep will do her the world of good," the doctor advised.

As Tali leaned forward to get out of the chaise, Doctor Ben reached out a hand to assist her. The hot bath suddenly sounded glorious to the girl now that she needn't carry this weight alone. Saying good night, she floated out of the room. Hobbling after her, Doctor Lanzbaum called out, "Popsy, I'm going to suggest to your grandmother that you sleep in tomorrow morning. A day of rest will do more good than you know." Seeing Burdena nodding in agreement, he hollered, "Doctor's orders Tali!

## CHAPTER NINETEEN

THOSE ERRANT FEET

IT SEEMS THAT THE FIRE over in Long Creek turned out to be the dairy farm owned by the Orville Castlebalms. Being completely burned out of their house and barn, they were taking refuge at the inn. Tali was not to learn the galling news until the Lanzbaum boys came running home ahead of the four Castlebalm twins, and most significantly Odious Odie.

When Tali had come downstairs just before noon, she found a note on the kitchen table telling her that Tillie was on call to see she had a good breakfast. Since both Grandmother and Lyla were managing undue circumstances, she should try getting out into the brisk air. 'Make sure you button up that heavy woolen sweater I've taken out of the trunk for you, the one hanging on the Captain's stairs at the rear of the kitchen,' the note instructed.

On her way outside Tali discovered Mrs. Lanzbaum absorbed in her reading over in Grandmother's study. Tali lingered outside in the hallway contemplating the woman from a distance. She could see that even her determination was unable to mask the fragility that stalked her these days. The girl sighed then quietly slipped out into the brisk air. In truth, she was looking for someone with whom she could share the turmoil of her thoughts. By the time she reached the foot of the driveway, had she been thinking, she would have known her only hope was to meet up with Grandfather. All the young people were in school; but even Grandfather was off on his weekly jaunt visiting an old hermit who lived nestled in among the scrub pines off Charlottetown Harbor. Besides, how could she possibly discuss a matter with that very one, who had the question mark still over his head? It was nigh impossible. But Tali was not thinking.

Looking out she could see the bitsy St. Peter's Island peeking out of a purple sfumato-like mist, a spectacular view, a pirate's haven glistening in the morning sun. Had it truly seen the comings and goings of desperate men bent on plundering and shipwrecking their fellow man? Often, she would see the Lanzbaum play actors pointing in her direction from high up in that old Elm tree.

Tali lingered for a moment, leaning against the long pole fence drinking in the lovely view and breathing the intoxicating air; that is until her musings over yesterday's travails began seeping back into her mind. As her thoughts stirred, her feet were compelled into action and she began walking with never a thought as to where those errant feet were taking her. Neither did she once engage her eye upon anything along the way. Her mind was clouded over as she scrutinized the supportive reasoning given her by Dr. Lanzbaum as he proclaimed Grandfather's innocence, an innocence she needed to believe in as much as she needed air to breathe. She would die to believe that Grandfather was innocent. Oh, if only those bottles were not found above that watery grave. Her mind was growling, and it tormented her to find a way to make Grandfather righteous in her eyes.

If he's found out, he'll be locked away in prison, even executed. Perhaps he'll be hung or shot or given a lethal dose of something. What do they do to criminals in this land?

Her mind was so troubled. Accordingly, there was no space in her thoughts for those feet that were doing only what they knew to do, as off to the west pasture they went. How she needed a sympathetic ear, one that would not judge Grandfather. One who would keep their counsel and one___

Suddenly she was greeted by Thunder. As she gazed at the stallion she could see he was just nigh a bit closer than was usual for this woefully latent friend of man. Instantly she knew that here was her listening ear, her confidant. With no hesitation, Tali charged the fence. A feeling a youthful joy bubbled up as the memory of her past came stealing out from the core of her being, captivating her senses and adding to the exhilaration. Without effort, she was on top of the fence then over and into the pasture, approaching the horse in the most splendorous trance. Not so the horse.

The great stallion became spooked from being put upon; and being spooked he became unstrung. He dug his hoofs into the soft grassy field then threw the weight of his large muscular body into the air pawing it in a fury as he bared his teeth. A wild cry went up to the heavens. A powerful fury inveigled its way into old memory cells as he gave himself up to pure madness. It seemed as if time itself would come undone as it witnessed the snapping of his mane and the unbridled savagery unleashed out in that field.

Tali had gotten within a few yards of the seething stallion and stood there speaking to the horse with all the abandon that she had known while romping about with her exotic playmates. Her own thick mane was flying about in the wind and her tea length woolen skirt was slapping against her legs as if crying out to tell her to stop and get away, or otherwise be destroyed. Yet as furiously as the wild-eyed stallion flailed against heaven and earth and even against himself, there was naught he could do against an obdurate MacIntyre.

Indeed, Tali never saw the fury that Mother Nature had unleashed, though wild was the horse and raging. Taking several rampages around the pasture, he pounded the earth and his own muscular frame, taking the steel of his body and twisting himself and Mother Nature into a firebrand, a tornado. Hurling and being hurled, gnashing his teeth, sucking in great gusts of wind and snorting them back out, tempting the spirits to contend with him, barreling straight for them, charging, racing, stomping, until breathless and spent and with not one ounce of tempestuousness remaining, he whinnied and cried out with his one last hoorah back in front of the girl. With that, the rage was over.

The sweat and smell of the horse mingled with the smell of damp grass. The horse was at peace with himself, and now with man. Thunder probably wouldn't remember how it happened that Tali had come alongside and was stroking the horse's neck, her hair blowing in his face and her lips showering his body with a rush of kisses and hot wet tears that soaked into his skin, leaving the horse stirring and nibbling at the sweet perfumed scent of the girl.

Thus, it was, and thus it should be, if no one would discover this woeful secret. For in a moment of revelation the girl had come to herself, realizing exactly where she was and with whom. A gripping fear fell upon her, not, regarding the stallion, for had she thought that the horse might have sustained her, she'd have been up onto his back right there. No! It was the terrible fright that she would lose Grandfather's trust and win Grandmother's ire. Circumspection was pulling and tugging to get her out of that pasture. Tali kissed Thunder and stroked his sleek body whispering her good-byes and telling the horse, "I'll be back Thunder. I'll be back!"

Then throwing herself up and over the fence and landing with skirts flying, unsteady but upright, she pulled herself away from the fence, her eyes still fastened on the beloved horse.

Now when Zev, Yaron, Daniel and the twins did not find the Banbury Cross princess when they arrived home after school, they set out hither and yon to find the girl and to share the miserable, skunk news. No sooner had Tali reached the end of the fence where the boundary line turned and headed down to the sea, than five waggish imps jumped out into the open.

"Yow! Popsy!" Moshe and Mattai shouted.

"Hey Tali, you've got guts!" Yaron thundered.

"Yeah Tali, Grandfather Mac says he's a mighty wild animal!" Zev whooped.

"Yeah, I've never seen such a wild animal. You're better than a man Tali. You're like the wild, wild, West." Daniel said

They had her cornered. Her eyes grew to marbles and boiled as in a pot.

When Zev cried, "Tali what are you doing?" as she brushed her way ahead of them, her riveting glare was penetrating. In a flash, she spun about.

"If one word of this goes beyond this pasture, I shall never speak to any of you again. And MacIntyres do not go back on their word," she shouted.

"Listen, Tal! I'm sorry. I really am."

Hearing the sincerity in Zev's voice slowed the girl's steps. She threw him a sideward glance. The boy continued his defense.

"Listen Tal, we came all the way over here because we couldn't think of any other place to look for you. We never dreamed--I mean--we just didn't think that- "

The right words were not forthcoming. Zev needed to take a different tack. He took a deep breath.

"Hey, Tal! You're quite a girl in my book. I'd give anything to make friends with that stallion. I guess all that talk about him being so deadly is just poppycock huh?"

The girl's eyes blazed.

"I only know that Grandfather will be very upset if he finds out. I may never get to see Thunder again. That would be tragic. He's never had a friend Zev."

The boy was annihilated.

"Tali, that's how I'd feel about you if I ever lost your friendship," the boy admitted.

The words struck a chord with the girl and her steps slowed once more. Meanwhile, Zev could see out of the corner of his eye that his brothers were stretching themselves as far forward as gravity would permit. He turned a scornful eye upon them that said, 'Get back.'

Now Tali eyed Zev. The boy was a rogue. She would never have reckoned with this serious side to the boy. Now, by way of this heartfelt confession, the girl took notice.

They reached Shore Road.

"Tal, I can be a true friend. Give me one chance. To begin with, no Lanzbaum is going to say one word about you and Thunder. The only Lanzbaum that can't keep his mouth shut is over to Willie Wittlehouse's birthday party this afternoon, so you don't have to worry about him".

"What happened out here in the pasture is for you to straighten out with your grandfather when the time comes. Do you remember Mother's teaching from the Tanakh about Job?"

Tali remembered. She remembered all of Mrs. Lanzbaum's teachings. She nodded for Zev to continue.

"Well do you remember when Job said, "My worst fear has come upon me? Tali our worst fear has come upon us. But I hope you never tell your grandmother I said it because Mr. Castlebalm is your grandmother's brother," he said.--.

"What about the Castlebalms?" she cried.

All at once, the memory of his having told her that the rooster and his family were her relatives, snuck up on him.

"Zev Lanzbaum, if you wait one more second for me to hear this news you can forget about us being friends."

"Tal I....

"You what Zev? For pity's sake! Moshe and Mattai have more courage than you're showing."

The words cut into the boy. Being compared to his shy, lamby brothers smacked his ego. Well, he started this.

"Look Tali, I was only hesitating because the last time I gave you some news about the Castlebalms you got upset. I just don't want you coming undone when there isn't anything that can be done," he protested.

"What do you mean can be done?"

"Tali you know there was a fire last night," he began.

"Yes, your father told me."

"Tali it was the Castlebalm dairy farm. It was their house," he said soberly.

"What happened, Zev?" she asked feeling jarred by the report.

Now the troops had caught up to big brother Zev. Furthermore, they'd had enough of being left behind. The twins gathered around their hero, while precocious Yaron saddled up to Tali. Zev paid the boys little mind. Perhaps he felt a certain protection with what he had to say by having his brothers nearby. Yes, make it more of a family disclosure. Nothing was worse than being left alone out there on that proverbial limb. A limb that Tali might want to cut off. And cut off forever.

"Popsy, the house caught on fire. They think it was faulty wiring. It was a very old house."

"Was?" she asked astonished.

Now the two babes jumped into the conversation thrilled that they could contribute such important news. It was too sweet. Zev let them finish the story.

"Yeah Tali, and the whole house burned right up," chirped Moshe.

"Yeah, right up to the ground," finished Mattai.

"Why that's too bad," Tali obliged.

Yaron who was more in tune with the social intrigues of the situation reckoned, "Popsy, I don't think you know how bad."

"Oh no! Did they get burned to death and die?" she cried in repentance looking from one head to another as no one rushed in with the answer.

Zev opened his mouth to speak but was saved by Yaron who, being smitten by the turn that the conversation was taking, brought it home to port.

"No Tali, they didn't get burned to death and die. They're all alive and well and living at Banbury Cross Bed & Breakfast!"

At this point the straggly little train hurried across the road as Mr. Schroeder's tractor descended upon them on its way over to the haying field. Since the conversation had taken a twist and a turn, it did not fully register in Tali's mind until a few yards up the road when Yaron began sputtering something about the Castlebalms being at the breakfast table this morning and them acting like they owned the place.

Zev brazened himself enough to say, "Tali you know Odious Odie. He has the attitude that they are doing us a favor by having their omniscient presence among us!"

Tali felt a lump of anger catch in her throat. She hated Odious Odie. She hated his odious family. She hated the fact that she was supposed to feel sorry that their house had burned down. Well, maybe, just maybe, if they had taken themselves and all their odiousness somewhere else, anywhere else, she might have been able to muster up, some semblance of sympathy, or whatever it is, you must feel for their ilk. Now? Never!

They all tramped home bleakly aware that Banbury Cross was now a horse, that is, a house of a different color! Even loyal Burdena who once carried the Castlebalm name was treated as shabbily as any other creature. To get right down to it, it seemed the Castlebalms lived only to be resentful. They resented that Burdena and Gordon were the owners of this charming establishment. They resented the fact that the Lanzbaums were so well received into the life and activities of Banbury Cross. They soon came to resent that the household took to honoring the Shabbat on Friday evenings with the lighting of the candles and the But, that the after-dinner blessing of the bread and wine. entertainment by Lyla, sweet Esther and Ariel could be so gloriously entertaining without their having any input, was expressly rancorous. And of course, they resented the feisty cousin.

Lyla found herself in a blaze over the treatment of Burdena. To see her put upon by the whims of those Castlebalm women, as when they claimed the sheets were not soft enough or not the right color, led her to rebuke them publicly.

"I reckon there ain't no sheets gonna be soft enough for them crotchety old folk. What they be feeling is only them pricklys they wear. They mights as well be wearing that big barb wire fence over near that old barn."

And upon hearing them complain about the color of their rooms, Lyla stuck her head out of Mrs. Lanzbaum's suite hollering, "This here ishtablishment only guts the colors they guts! Banbury Cross don't carry no color mean! Hmph!"

Esther and Lyla both devised ways of keeping Burdena at arm's length of these demoralizers, same as the woman herself had been keeping their abysmal behavior from one Sheamus MacIntyre and had been doing it for so many years that the Castlebalms knew the game and could play it off superbly. There would be not the slightest ruse apparent if the Mister was within hearing. After all, who among them wanted to go riding off on that trackless trolley?

## CHAPTER TWENTY

E=MC2?

AS THE COLD PAGES of the March calendar flew past, Tali and all the boys were drawn to the great out of doors. At the same time, Ariel began to maintain a certain distance from everyone. Concern about his future and the war in Europe and the Pacific loomed large on his horizon. The war was now the talk of the countryside both here and abroad. There was no question. He would go. The atrocities that were happening to his people at the hands of vile men put steel into his growing manhood. One night he cut off his side curls, an outward expression of his inner resolve. And he'd join the Canadian forces at the end of the school year. He would go and fight. Were it not for mother he would go directly. He needed time to prepare her.

But Ariel had not counted on the adverse reaction of his brothers at his shaven head. The shock of seeing something abandoned that had been commanded by their Torah, was seen as a sign of rebellion. After all, had they not subjected themselves to an inordinate amount of teasing from these same curls by these gentiles who neither understood their commitment nor cared to understand? Two trips up to the tree fort decided their fate. Off with the curls! Yes! Off with the curls!

At the evening meal Tali discovered the plan and putting teeth to the proverbial, 'The devil is in the details', she assured them not only had she the sharpest scissors at the inn, but also the best vanity that could be used as the barber chair. She was hired on the spot. Lop lop plop went the twelve curls!

Of course, they were all on a collision course with discovery. But Mrs. Lanzbaum took the entire episode in stride once the gravity of what was happening in the world and the bitter suffering of her people were finally realized. She forgave Ariel. As for the rest of the clan, their punishment seemed quite severe.

"Dismantle the tree fort."

Dismantle the tree fort?

"Dismantle the tree fort."

Mercifully, by the time all the resources were gathered, a great Northeast storm was pummeling the Atlantic seacoast. It reached the little island with great gusts of wind and drifting snow just in time to keep the fortress intact for an indefinite period. Strangely, with the coming of the massive storm the Castlebalm's evil glee turned sour.

Nothing would forestall the ongoing battle across the Atlantic. It was already raging. As to the merits of fighting in the war, Benjamin Lanzbaum had been doing his own reasoning. He knew every part of London as much as he knew a man's anatomy. If things were to get worse as was now feared, they would need every available doctor. Perhaps if he were to join a medical station, he could take Ariel along to work with him. This would give Mother the peace of knowing her son was not hold up in some foxhole. Zev was strong, hard working. While he would have one more year of schooling, he could help with the boys and give a hand running the inn. Lyla was looking after Esther. The doctor could not ask for a more dedicated nurse.

Secretly Dr. Lanzbaum was reviled by the Castlebalm clan. But for Burdena's sake he ignored them. What he chose not to ignore but to bring right out into the open was the mystery of what happened to the Hatfield boys. Tali's worry dissipated. She pictured the Hatfield boys being captured by her grandfather. His hot pursuit of the two sharks had landed him right on deck that last evening. Strolling along the quay just as they were checking their watches in anticipation of the evening food fest, that mighty MacIntyre angel succored them, and using the liquor as bait, rendered them inoperative. But not so inoperative that they could not assist in the sinking of the infamous getaway car. Then pirating the old dory that he himself had gifted to the Gilders, the skiff was set into the wind to transport the scamps off the island. The part that the good doctor left off telling Tali was that, when reaching the mainland, Gordon had made the two surrender all their belongings shoes and all right down to their long Johns. As shots rang out, the moonlight revealed two cream-colored derrieres hobbling off into the frosty night air. Two nearly bare rumps that would think twice before setting out to plunder Prince Edward Islanders again. Thus, the episode was put to rest.

Now as the girl lay in her bed she thought about Thunder-that wild, headstrong stallion she adored. She'd made headway with the horse. He trusted her. Bringing him along now and taming him was the most natural thing in the world to Tali. Out on the Serengeti it was her entire world. How could he stand up to her love and her determination to fully set him free? Impossible.

Ariel, on the other hand, was a complete blow out. She had no idea what went on in the elder Lanzbaum head. Was she even on his radar? Did he even like her? How could she know? Rachel Willowby had told Maryellen Bates under the Maple tree that when a boy is in love he can hardly take his eyes off the object of that love. Tali lay there pondering the matter. It seemed that when love was easy, when boys liked you even when you hadn't hit the like button, that was boring. But when you liked a boy and he didn't show the same liking, that was like entering a rigged competition. Nothing you could do would change the outcome. To a true competitor this was a total bugbear.

On the other hand, why she should even consider these girls' opinions was a puzzlement. Two of the more popular ones treated her so shabbily, never finding quite enough room for her to be seated among their little gatherings, never sharing that extra cherry tart, never pulling down their snobby noses as she passed by. Moreover, it turned them a sickly caterpillar green to see the girl escorted to school each day by the four boys who they wished would be escorting them. In truth, the boys were oblivious to anything other than their books and studies. It was as though the little temptresses didn't exist, a sorry curse they attributed to the MacIntyre witch. And while Tali was not apprised of these things, she soon became accustomed to the turned-up noses, the closed circles of whispered conversation, the sudden turn of the heel when they'd see her coming. But they were no match for her egregious expertise in outwitting and demolishing their schemes. They proved to be the solid training ground that honed her feminine wiles and wherefores. The only problem was that while it worked wonders with the Cornwall boys, when it came to attracting Ariel it seemed there was nothing she could do to entice the eldest Lanzbaum. Tali MacIntyre received the same favor that every girl received. Nothing more. When she gave the matter serious attention, it felt a bit discouraging. But there were too many things happening around Banbury Cross to be chaffing over an early defeat. Given time and the employment of that indomitable will, Tali MacIntyre would succeed. Tali MacIntyre loved Ariel Lanzbaum. What else had to be said? E=MC2?

At evening meal nobody wanted to sit beside the Castlebalms. To put it in genteel terms, they were in a class of their own. Of the four twins, two boys and two girls, paired fraternally boy to girl, only one could be described as decent. Oddly enough it was Odious Odie's twin Adelaide Castlebalm.

Adelaide, Odie's significant other, housed a shriveled-up spirit of kindness, which was her ill fate, seeing she really was of a shy but kindly nature. Her frequently hooded eyes served to hide the constant shame she felt over her serpentine siblings, siblings whose behavior she viewed as obstreperous at best. They also hid her true feelings and saved her from their snakish attacks.

Odie, Odious Oady, or Odie Toady, in fourteen years had shot up into a tall skinny fellow, tall, skinny and in full ownership of a watermelon-shaped head. He looked out of his watermelon in a wild and wily way with a crabby smirk that flashed on and off like traffic lights that were not quite synchronized; there was no doubting he was working overtime trying to cover up the evil intent that smoldered just beneath the surface.

Olivia, mother and mouse of the family, would spend her first week at the inn locked away in her room with her finger pressed for room service. Tali stepped in so that Lyla and Grandmother would not become threadbare. Due to some pressing claims that the aftermath of this vicious fire presented, Mr. Orville Castlebalm was generally absent from the gatherings. They were bereft of home and possessions, and word was, that due to an altercation between the father and his insurance agent, the man had let his fire insurance lapse. It was a wearying rumor no one wanted to believe. To think that with no money perhaps there would be no house forthcoming and with no house forthcoming, perhaps they would be hold up at Banbury Cross forever. Ugh!

Eric Castlebalm was a follower at heart. Odie gave the orders and Eric carried them out. Deadpan Eric!

Edema was the twin to Eric but thought more like Odie. Odie would take immense pride in promoting her ideas especially the more vile ones. Tonight, she peered across from the table that had been the favorite haunt of the Hatfield boys. Zev looked up from his plate and intercepted her frowzy communication. He forced a perfunctory smile then turned to see Tali entering the room. Zev had already procured her plate. It waited patiently under its silver covering hot and inviting. Dr. Lanzbaum entered the room still limping from his sprained ankle. He kissed his darling woman, greeted his boys and smiled warmly at Tali.

"Abba, the Captain has a cold!" cried a concerned Moshe.

"Yes Abba, and Grandfather Mac is worried about him too," Mattai agreed.

The father looked on with affection at his two bookends. "Oh my! We'll have to see to our dear friend, the Captain, won't we boys?"

The two heads were up and down in succession. They looked up to their father as one might look upon the sudden appearance of a mighty angel who had just come down to open the Red Sea for them. No one saw the glinty look that passed from one head to another at the table where the Castlebalm twins were sitting.

Outside it was evident that winter had settled upon the landscape. The Northeast storm had dumped over two feet of wonderful snow all over the island. All the barnyard inmates took to their stalls or their little niches. Thunder was brought into his boxed stall, roomy with its separate entrance at the southeast corner of the barn away from the other animals.

With so many Castlebalms lurking about, winter blew right in through the doors and on into people's bones. The warm open hearths warmed the chilled bodies all about, but it was a more serious matter to warm people's inners, though nobody spoke a word of it for fear that Burdena might be hurt.

Something was happening with Burdena, something that no one could put their finger on. The woman was not entirely herself. The easy explanation of her importuning relatives didn't seem to fit. The woman seemed not at all engaged with the goings on regarding the Castlebalms. Burdena seemed not engaged at all. It had to be all the drama of the past month. Besides it was winter. Anybody can get tired out.

On the day following the storm Tali seized an opportunity to bring her grandfather into the loop, to let him know she'd made friends with the stallion. Arriving home from school ahead of everyone, she laid down a pile of books in Grandmother's study and zipped up to her room to get the earmuffs and matching mittens she'd refused to wear earlier in the day. Then she set out from the east doors and headed out to the lighthouse. It had begun to snow heavily again. By the time she reached the lighthouse road she was ready to turn back until she saw two headlights bearing down on her. A snow-covered grandfather approached. He greeted her with a big shout then helped pull her up beside him. He was bundled up in a rip of fur and his emerald eyes glistened against the wintry background. The tractor slid its way home battling its way into the driveway at Banbury Cross. The weather had thwarted Tali's plan. Meanwhile several black heads were sticking out of the big French doors. Then Ariel and Zev appeared. The two young men were attending to barnyard chores. Gordon smiled approvingly and tooted his way into the barn, Tali alongside him.

Immediately Thunder sensed the girl's presence. He began roaring about in his walled room. Tali made her way over to the far wall that separated them. The horse sent up a soft whinnying noise. Tali responded like a mother separated from her calf. It didn't take long before the old arthritic understood the two had nigh become friends. It would be all he could do to get her away from that wall and into the warmth of Banbury Cross.

"Get on with you, girl! I'll be in, in due time, when I'm done feeding the animal. You get into the manse before you catch your death of cold! And that's an order hear?" Grandfather bellowed.

That night the lights did not go out before the man had ripped open the mahogany cabinet. Set before him were those warm drinks that were indulged in now and again by the house guests but were off limits to old Sheamus. But old Sheamus had assigned those limits himself. Tonight, he had good reason to cast them aside; Tali had made friends with that impossible stallion; and as the youngster said, there was hope for the horse. Sheamus had reason to celebrate, and Sheamus was going to celebrate. He was going to have a rip-roaring celebration.

You might know Burdena was in a blister. Well he loved the little woman, but she could stay in a blister if she couldn't understand a man when he had something to celebrate. Perhaps she was thinking that he'd gone off his rocker or that he was back in his old hooch. Well he'd do all his explaining when he got into bed, and with the day he'd had out at the lighthouse it wouldn't be long until he'd be squirreling his way up into that warm inviting bed.

Everyone was retiring early. Doctor Lanzbaum and Esther had said their good nights and were trailing behind five of the boys. Most all the guests had gone to their rooms. Ariel was finishing an intricate piano piece and giving Lyla the accompaniment, she needed for her Friday night solo. Tali was out on her parapet imagining herself on the horse's back riding bareback. A strong wind blew straight through the girl's room out into the hall. When Lyla came bundling up the stairs the cold draft that swirled around her came from Tali's room.

"This ain't no time and place to be inviting the North Pole in for no midnight visit!" she stoked as she barreled into the room. The wind whistled and blew and threatened the red bandana. Tali was castigated straight into bed.

Downstairs Grandfather was in a mellow glow. He'd walked out into the main room and headed towards the central fireplace. To his surprise, Emily was waiting for him. He'd forgotten the painting was on display. He stood beneath it. It was the picture he loved. Emily! Darling Em, the girl of the old man's dreams. His eyes misted over into silver puddles. The bright young face was Emily. It was Tali. It was Em! He held his glass up in a salute and smiled a tired, happy smile; then bracing himself he put the glass to his lips, and with a snap of the wrist emptied the intoxicant, not seeing the cold steely eyes that watched him from a distant shadow.

## CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

THE LETTER

THE INN WAS FLOURISHING. The Gablehursts had called ahead and were making plans to make an early visit to the island this summer. Ivana especially wanted to see how her little enterprise was doing. Tali had a lot to tell Ivana. It seemed Ivana understood men. Tali surely didn't. Well, at least not the one who mattered. Why was Ariel not like every other boy in the schoolhouse?

Tali lay in bed in the dark trying to figure out what she was doing wrong. She'd presented herself in the best light on Friday evenings when Ariel was entertaining, and didn't she show interest in his talents without mooning like a schoolgirl? She'd watched her temper even when those horrid Castlebalms carried themselves aloft with such a putrid whiff of arrogance that no one could breathe around them, and when Doctor Ben caught the twins opening the Captain's windows at night Tali wanted to waste them. But she didn't. So why was winning Ariel so difficult?

On the following Thursday Tali got her answer. Ariel was practicing at the baby grand when he was called away to run an errand for Mother. Tali had come along and seated herself at the instrument. It was comforting drawing near to the beloved. She'd begun fingering the sheet music when several pages of delicate handwriting slipped out from between the music books, falling into her lap. Picking up the pages and putting them back together, something caught her eye.

'My dearest Ariel,'

Unable to tear her eyes away, she began scanning, then reading in detail. Here on these delicate pages was a competitor, a usurper of Tali's rights. She could not tear her eyes away. It was a sweet, tender love letter. The girl wrote with such charm and ability to express her thoughts that had it not been directed towards Ariel, Tali would have favored to know such a girl. The letter was engrossing, Tali was gob smacked.

"Popsy, what are you doing?" a voice came ahead of the quick steps of Ariel.

Zev had offered to run the errand for Mother so that Ariel could finish practicing his piano work. Tali looked up at the anguished young man's face and realized what she was doing. Panic seized her. Ariel looked down to see that she was trembling and suddenly remembered the words, "I love that man Captain Blood and I mean to have him if it's the last thing I do!"

Compassion stole into his being. In an instant he was seated beside her speaking words of forgiveness. Then out came the story of a long courtship that had begun in childhood when he and Rebecca had been betrothed by their parents in an ancient if seldom used custom. Rebecca was of the Jewish faith, an essential ingredient that bound the two of them together and assured his acceptance into orthodoxy, and the Rabbinate, if he would choose this life.

Right now, he could only see far enough ahead to join forces with his father and sail off to England. Tali's eyes opened wide as the blueprint of a future that would rip her loved ones away, was placed before her. Another loss? No! A hundred times no! And what of Ariel's mother, Esther? She was in such a perishable state. No Doctor Ben, no Ariel? Suddenly the feeling of torment she'd felt while reading the boy's letter melted clean away. It was replaced by the evil being perpetrated on the Continent. Now that evil was crashing down on them. It was worse than being all alone out on Mr. Dreary's pond in the dead of winter and falling through the ice.

"Ariel, we don't want you to leave us. Your mother will be totally defeated. No one will want it. Why it's possible we might__ never see you again," she stormed.

Hearing the words 'Mother defeated' was a punch in the gut to the eldest Lanzbaum. He felt his eyebrows knot, his body tense. Even his throat constricted. He struggled to gain control of himself. A battle of epic proportion was taking place on the Continent. Tyranny had half the world in a stranglehold. If freedom loving people were to lose the struggle, how long would it be before their freedom was in question? Father needed him. The world needed him. His own people on the continent sorely needed him, and Rebecca needed him more than anyone. It had been seven weeks since he'd received a letter from the girl, almost two months of unending worry.

Rebecca lived in Holland, in Amsterdam. She was a girl of sixteen, same as Tali. On May 14th the city of Rotterdam was taken down to matchsticks. So, leveled was it that the queen and the leaders of the Netherlands fled to London the very next day, allowing the German army to advance unimpeded. The Jews were targeted same as in France. The girl's last letter told of plans to go underground were the country to be invaded, and for the safety of their benefactors no names or details would be forthcoming. This letter arrived the last day in April. Left the young man in shock for several days. Then he rallied. Ariel would recruit himself even if it cost him everything. But what he needed presently was a recruit on the home front.

"Look, Mother is going to need someone to help her get through this. I know Lyla and your grandmother will do their absolute best. But it's Mother's soul I'm concerned about. In one sense she's ninety-nine percent soul; and she thinks highly of you Tal. Mother feels you have so much potential for writing. You could give her the strength to get through; and the little ones set all their affection by you. It would mean so much to me and to Father."

The young man went on to tell in detail what was transpiring on the Continent. The stories were shocking beyond belief. Women and children running for their lives, being hunted like animals and then caged into boxcars and shipped away to their deaths, where would it end? She found herself saying, "Ariel I'll help your mother and your brothers. But only if you promise that you'll come home to us."

If only, you'll come home to us. If only, you'll come home to us. What did the words mean? Oh no!

## CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

THE RUSE

THE FOLLOWING DAYS FLEW BY. On the Tuesday following Tali's bittersweet encounter with Ariel, while making her way home, she overheard Eric and Odie in a buzz. Then Eric trotted up to Daniel and David informing them they intended asking their mother when the tree fort would come down now that the snow was melting. The boys turned ashen. Tali had stopped to tie her shoe. She kept her feelings of revile at bay. No war of words would stop this evil duo. Instead of going to war against the evil Nazis, she would war against the evil Castlebalms. It was exhilarating. It gave vent to all the anxiety she was feeling. Now as she walked along behind the boys, she mulled over their predicament. If only some incinerating idea would come to her. As they all tramped home, ideas tramped through Tali's mind. The time had come for evil to be thrust back upon the Castlebalm heads.

Suddenly, the story of Queen Esther came to mind. She pictured evil Haman receiving the famous invitation to come to the royal banquet. Yes! An invitation to destruction! She began to picture the captious Castlebalms being invited to a royal banquet. But what would be the ruse and what would be the force that would annihilate their whole invective persons? By the time the group had edged its way out onto Shore Road for the last lap home, the MacIntyre girl had that gleam in her eye.

This was an undertaking that would require firm resolve. Her eyes fell upon the gentle Lanzbaums. She dreaded this part of the scheme. Letting the boys believe her to be a traitor, made her take a deep breath. Well, the end would have to justify the means. These surly snakes were not going to experience victory on any level. She would deliver her trusted friends. Biting down on her lower lip until her whole bearing exploded like a rubber raft inflating far out upon the ocean, she called out,

"Hey fellas, wait up!"

All heads turned in Tali's direction.

"Yaron! Why were you making faces at me when I was called on to make a recitation today? I'm surprised at you," she railed.

The boys recoiled at the tone in Tali's voice, a ringing scornful tone made worse by being uttered in front of Odious Odie and that awful Eric. Nobody spoke. Poor Yaron had no idea what she was saying.

Turning to her odious cousins she said, "You know I've been watching you fellas. I think we must have a lot in common. Why shouldn't we?" she said trying not to throw up. "After all we're cousins! I say cousins should stick together."

Turning back to the boys,

"And let me tell you the unadulterated truth. I'm sick of all those lessons and all those rules you follow. I'm not even Jewish and keeping kosher, come on!"

Well, you could have picked up three flattened faces right off the pavement. Tali, seeing them, felt she would perish if she stayed one more second. Grabbing hold of the two debauchers and linking arms, she sashayed away, her skirts snaking in and out between them. Before long the wasteful cousins had to hold the girl up, the ordeal had become so odious. When they were far enough ahead of the boys, Tali pulled herself away from the tricksters. Her quick tongue kept up the pretense. She told them it was time that all those of Castlebalm lineage should take over their rightful rule of this little salt and pepper town. Didn't they agree?

Oh, did they agree. But what did she mean by 'salt and pepper' town? That she was referring most probably in their minds to the only spot on Prince Edward Island where Jews and gentiles lived together, set them dancing. They castigated themselves that these despicables had swarmed down on poor innocent folk like killer bees. Why couldn't they have picked, some other town, some other island? Why not some other planet?

Tali raged inside. Whatever misgivings she may have felt over what was to transpire, evaporated into thin air. Tali MacIntyre would thrill to be the one to annihilate these two and if necessary that scalawag sister, Edema, who was off to Tillie Miregotten's on an after-school fete. All their evil schemes would be set back upon their own heads. Terrible Tali MacIntyre would see to it. A strident glee bubbled up inside her while a thick syrupy smile agreed with her internal calculations. Evil, were they? Horrid? They had not seen the girl with the curl in that famous rhyme when she was horrid had they? Soon enough they would. Nothing was too terrible for these malevolent tricksters. Nothing would be spared to bring down their folly.

That night the plot got underway. Out in the driveway she informed Odie and brother Eric of her plan for a secret get together up in the loft the morrow after school. Only true Castlebalms were invited to this token banquet. The boys were thunderstruck. Now they had a counterpart at Banbury Cross, and not only a counterpart but also a cousin, and not only a cousin but also the darling of the estate. The hair on their heads became electric. This was an inroad into intrigue galaxies beyond what they could have imagined on their own. After the brief encounter, they changed their clothes and took themselves off to meet up with a friend at the docks spanning the back inlet. Charlottetown harbor would have to weather those cruel smiles all afternoon.

As the afternoon progressed, Tali was careful to keep her distance from her friends. They had to see her as one of them. If Odie and Eric, but especially Odie, was not completely convinced, it would never work. The Lanzbaum shock was a needful part of that convincing. A big price to pay even for one day, but she would pay it to outwit these mockers.

That night in a moment of quiet it came to her that here she was in the middle of a churlish conspiracy of her own making. To make matters worse, it was childish, fiendishly childish. This belonged to that other world in the Tanganyika territory, when she was that terrible tomboy. Here she was a lady of sorts, about to graduate, and acting like a first-class prankster. Well she could not tolerate these toad-eating cousins one more second.

In the morning, she descended the grand staircase. She was now Queen Esther. By the time, she reached the dining room almost everyone was heading for the French doors. Was Tali late or was everyone trying to avoid her? Lyla came into the room with a warmed-up breakfast tray deploring all these latecomers and wiping her hands onto her apron in a fit of compulsion. Lyla gave her a worried glance. Lyla knew Tali's temperatures. Something was brewing. Tali smiled an innocent smile. Said her stomach was rolling. Would Lyla feel her forehead? Gathering her belongings and heading out of doors, Lyla's watchful eyes followed her down the driveway and up the road in front of the manse. Her head shook from side to side. Somehow Lyla was not convinced that Tali was under the weather.

"Oh, she done under something. She done under an umbrilla of trouble, That's what! Indeeges-chun!" she stormed.

In the schoolhouse, Tali bristled under Mr. Saddleback's angry stare. What a dreadful day, it was turning out to be. Arriving late meant she would miss break. Thankfully, it would keep her clear of those sad Lanzbaum eyes. As the day progressed, geography maps were passed around. The students were instructed to name the provinces of Canada and their capitals, plus the main bodies of water including major rivers. Tali's mind kept wandering. If ever she needed encouragement, it was now.

She remembered her lessons with Mrs. Lanzbaum. She remembered how King David encouraged himself when everyone was against him. Tali MacIntyre would do the same. At last the day ended. The schoolhouse was emptying. Mary Gilder was speaking a word about the graduation. What was it? Could she come over to the inn later to show Tali some material for their dresses now that they would be graduating along with Ariel? What had she told the girl? Oh, it hardly mattered. Tali needed to be about her business.

The trip home was excruciating. The boys stared wide-eyed as she took up with the Castlebalms. Poor Adelaide looked on visibly distressed. Once home, the handpicked guests were given ample time to ready themselves. Tali intended making it a tribal affair. How merciful to hear that Adelaide was being called away. Olivia Castlebalm was scurrying over to Victoria and needed her daughter's assistance. Tali breathed a grateful sigh of relief.

Lyla and Burdena were abroad when Tali walked into the kitchen leaving her free to focus. She needed to find something flavorful, something that would swallow up the taste of the oil of whatchamacallit, that pungent herbal made from those rare and bitter herbs that Grandmother gathered out on St. Peter's Island every summer. It was the only place could make it flourish so Grandmother would tell her and worth every effort; and although caution was its byword, wonders of the greatest magnitude were known to erupt following its consumption.

Take too much and you've got yourself a real head knocker," said Grandmother.

That was the caution. A very little went a long way. More might land a person on the throne and over a bucket at the very same time.

Just too dreadful!

After obtaining a sweet syrup she searched until she found some lemons. If anyone complained about the bitterness of the drink, she could point to the lemons. Up in the loft, a small table, was pulled away from a dusty corner then dragged out into the middle of the floor. As Tali brushed off the cobwebs, she considered how fortunate she was not to have run into the boys. She ached to tell them. But it couldn't be done. Perhaps the younger ones had returned to their tree fort. Esther, upon hearing that Odie and Eric had been teasing her boys unmercifully, decided that perhaps destroying the tree fort was not the appropriate punishment after all. Until further notice, the tree fort was no longer off limits.

Soon this epoch in Tali's life would be over. The nasty Castlebalms would get their comeuppance and Banbury Cross' finest would have their vindication. She spread Burdena's silvery silk cloth across the table and set out the Waterford glasses on a tray. Little did she know that Grandmother would have skinned her alive had she seen her prized Waterford glasses waltzing out to the barn. It was their dark color that made them fit right into her schemes. Finally, she pulled out the varied tea sandwiches, cookies and brightly colored petit fours that had been set aside for the Woman's Horticultural Tea. It was a sweet display and Tali MacIntyre was ready to take center stage.

When the three V.I. P's arrived, she had already poured the lemonade on top of a genteel amount of the oil of destruction. She could not read the label on the bottle, but she very well knew it to be the substance. The moment had arrived. Queen Tali would make the event a swell piece of theatrics. No one would have to worry a spank about speaking their parts or having their share in the performance until the Queen was ready to receive them. That the Castlebalms were thoroughly taken by the girl was made manifest by the way they stood gaping under her spell. There she stood in her royal robe, Burdena's best yellow brick linen tablecloth, and holding the royal staff, an old brassy rod with a bulbous knob at one end. Queen Esther was holding court. One could hardly imagine that this was not a great kingdom palace. Commands were given, oaths taken, appeasements offered. Heads began rolling and the Queen was apprised, then appalled, advised and then admonishing, nodding an approval and then casting an eye towards complete destruction. Destruction of the three Hamans!

Finally, the time came for the oaths. Each Castlebalm must declare himself. They would pledge themselves beginning with Odie, then on to Eric and then Edema. After all, they held the Castlebalm name. Afterwards Tali would make her declaration. Then they would all drink the drink in unison sealing the promise. One after the other they rattled off the pledge solemnly and with puffy pride. It was Tali's turn. She steeled herself. She would have to do it.

Ugh!

Suddenly the sound of screaming resounded through the rafters. Someone was outside in the yard yelling her name. It threw her off guard. The three toadies looked questioningly at her exchanging glances with one another. Tali took the lead and stumbled across the dimly lit room high above the barn stalls. With the royal robe flowing and the royal staff poking into the floorboards she made her way to the open window. It was Mary Gilder.

Tali returned her call, telling her, she would be down presently, and to wait for her out on the porch, or if she wanted, she could go inside and make herself comfortable. As Mary turned in the direction of the inn, Tali MacIntyre returned to her unfolding drama. To her horror, the three Castlebalms had taken it upon themselves to hoist their own drinks. But she was to be the sole administer of the drinks. Only she knew which drinks had the potent herb. Odie held the tray and was coming towards her. It was impossible to tell which drink her intended drink was.

Oh, golly Moses!

Odie smiled his most surly smile as he held out the offering. The boy watched her intently, waiting. Here was her drink, the only full glass left on the tray. Perhaps it was her eternal optimism. Perhaps it was the fact that nobody seemed to realize she had not made the despicable oath. Perhaps she would get off by merely drinking the drink. Nothing was worse than uttering that despicable oath. So, in short order and mimicking the grandfather, she held the glass in her hand for a teasing moment, looked up to the heavens as though uttering a prayer then took it down in one gulp. The flair with which she emblazoned the moment cauterized the Castlebalms.

Unknown to Tali, Odie had tasted the awful drink when the girl was taken up with the distraction, and quicker than thud each of the enemy had taken a tiny sip then dumped the mess between the floorboards; and while they'd only gotten a wee rip, the aftertaste was brutal. Seeing Tali take down a whole glass of the toxin set them on another planet.

Tali started to waver. She lopped over to the left then swung around to the right. Her face mottled. Sickly-colored-patches began roaming over her face and neck. When the repugnants saw the condition of the girl, they wanted to be far removed. It would be most unforgiving if Mr. MacIntyre were to find them within a hundred miles of the girl in her condition. Down the stairs they fled.

Tali too started for the staircase. But the stairs seemed to be moving. She steadied herself then bumped down the steps like a rubber ball slapping up against the wall at the foot of the stairs. But instead of feeling injured by the whack into the boards, it helped her breathing. She would make it outside. Plowing her way out to the entrance to the barn, Mary Gilder was waiting right outside.

"Oh Tali! I have such good news. Mother has given me a splendid piece of cloth to make a dress for the graduation. I'm sure there's enough for two dresses___Oh Tali! You don't look well! You look___Oh you look absolutely dreadful. Oh Mrs. MacIntyre!" the girl yelled as she ran in the direction of the inn.

The following day Tali was in bed recovering from an illness of unknown origin. The Castlebalms remained tight-lipped and paled upon hearing that Gordon MacIntrye was beside himself to know why his granddaughter had been ranting over some oaths taken up in the loft. He kept asking the good doctor did he know anything about these oaths, or was the girl hallucinating? Doctor Lanzbaum had to pry the story out of a weakened Queen Esther. Yes! It was a childish prank and had she learned her lesson?

But the Lanzbaum boys treated her like a hero and that was the best medicine. Mary Gilder came by two days later hoping to get an answer about the cloth she had been given. Tali couldn't remember the question. The girl was looking to put them both into dresses made from this cloth. Tali looked at the cloth. It was scratchy. She hated it. But was this the aftermath of the drink? Grandmother stopped in to see Tali and took the situation in hand.

Seeing Mary Gilder, the woman didn't have to go the country mile to see that Mary's folks were scarce on money. So, if the two girls would be agreed, she'd make an evening visit to the Gilders out on Goosey Brick Lane to see if there'd be any objections to their daughter celebrating her graduation at the inn. After all there were only the three of them, she, Tali and Ariel; and Mary could invite whomever she wished. There'd be plenty of food and room enough for a barrel of guests. As for the girls' dresses, Grandmother would supply both their dresses. Could Mary abide that? Mary Gilder was ecstatic. Mary Gilder was over the moon!

The following day after a discussion with Gordon and Lyla, Burdena got herself ready to make a visit to Mr. Saddleback. Informing the man about the party following the graduation ceremony, she wondered what the man would say to including the ceremony itself at the inn as well. After all, an important function with proper space and exposure increases one's own stature. The man could see Burdena's point of view.

Meanwhile thoughts of graduation and Grandmother's generosity gave Tali a renewed zest; and the fact that Grandmother was calling her Emily went unnoticed seeing they were in a flood of preparation. Once it became headlines that the graduation was to be held at the inn, several fickle-faced girls began mooning out in the schoolyard looking for an invitation. Tali would have held out against them but Mary was of a mind that everyone should see her celebrating and having a high time over at the famous inn.

Ariel took visible delight in sharing the occasion with the two high-strung girls. After school, he would discuss the varied details of the ceremony. On the last day of school Ariel offered to help Tali home with her various and sundry possessions when Zev made it plain that he was quite capable of carrying the load himself. Ariel smiled at his brother. To say that Zev was smitten with this glory in the bud of a girl was a smacking understatement. What would Ari have felt had he not been destined to the rabbinate, had he not been betrothed to Rebecca? But life is a twist and a turn right from birth. Ari smiled at Zev and handed him the satchel of Tali's treasures.

## CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

THE GRADUATION

IVANA GABLEHURST ARRIVED late into the night, but she was the first one up onto the stage just as the last syllable was uttered ending the ceremony. Tali was beaming. Ariel was beaming. But mostly it was Mary Gilder who was beaming. For this girl, who always made it a commandment, to only smile, just so wide a smile to keep those errant teeth from showing, Mary had become truant. She smiled her widest smile in jubilation that she would forever be remembered as, the girl who had descended the great staircase at Banbury Cross to receive her diploma from Cornwall by the Sea. And to make sure that she was remembered she had invited the entire schoolhouse, the entire schoolhouse and their families, not to mention the father's eight brothers and sisters and their partners and children, plus the nine brothers and sisters of her mother, plus all their partners and children.

Burdena and Lyla took the swelled gathering in stride. The two of them pulled together and rang up an order from the new catering service that had opened up in Charlottetown. The Caldwell's were happy to get the business even on short notice, and Mr. Waterman zipped over in his glad rags to save the day. His daughter Betsy was to have the time of her life and though a year younger than Tali and Mary Gilder, in the coming days they would become great friends.

Of course, the Castlebalms were in attendance. One could hardly exclude them now that they were so firmly entrenched at Banbury Cross. Captain Blood was removed from the front porch. Gordon had gotten it out of the squawker that Odie Toady had been rattling his cage, tormenting the bird. At present, he would remain in the leather study. Gordon would bide his time. Now that his eyes were open to this crafty lot, marriage relations or no, he would have his way with these no counts when the time was right. It galled him to think that the time was not right.

Once the music began, everyone wanted to have a dance with the graduates. Ariel took turns, once with Mary Gilder, then with Tali.

"Oh Ari! I don't think I know how to dance. I never wanted to do it back home. And I never really thought about it until this minute," Tali said.

"Come! You'll be all right, Popsy! Take my word. Come!" He held out his arm to the girl.

All of Banbury Cross held their breath as the dashing young couple went round the floor, a little bumbly at first, but after a few twirls Tali got the hang of it. Here she was with Ariel. As Chopin's Waltz in A Flat played on, Tali's lovely eyelet gown spread itself out and flowed across the room, winking and waltzing to the music. Her beautiful wooded blossoms had been styled by Ivana, who was thrilled to be taking Tali under her wing again. Beaming, Ariel smiled and chatted with his friend, all the while keeping the ebb and flow of the music. Sparkling eyes and smiling lips were planted everywhere in the crowd of eager faces. Everyone gave themselves up to the timeless dance of youth that gave itself up to the eternal play of life and luck and love. Somewhere along in the song he was telling her that in the morning he and Father would be leaving for England. The girl stopped even as the music played and everyone looked on.

"Oh, Ari you can't mean it. So soon? Does your mother know?" she asked.

Ariel took hold of the girl wanting to continue with the waltz, but Tali could not concentrate on the newly weaned steps. She motioned for everyone to join in, and when the dance floor began to fill up, the sorrowing girl made her way outside.

The world was at war and evil was gaining a terrible foothold. The dread words from the piano bench were being repeated. Their worst fear had come upon them. Bombs were dropping on England. The unthinkable was happening. They could lose this war. Benjamin Lanzbaum had decided it was time to cross the Pond. It was time to do his part. His eldest son was ready to go. Esther Lanzbaum was being informed this very minute. There was no turning back. There was a war to win. Should things go well for Father, Ariel would make the break and sea leg his way over to Holland or France and join the underground. He was fluent in French but did not know the Dutch language. Hence, he would put himself in the hands of the partisans. They would know how and where to place him. He would work with all his might to help rout the Nazis. In the end, maybe he could save Rebecca.

All of this was communicated to Tali and all of it brought the world catastrophe home to her little island and her little world. She had nothing to bring to the conversation. Coming as it did amidst the gala of the day, the news of their sudden departure left her shocked and numb. As to the rest of the party and the rest of the day, it was lost and forgotten.

## CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

SUFFERING THOSE CROAKING INDIGNATIONS

THAT A GIRL! WHOA! You did it Tal. You beat the all-time record. I think you're ready. I know Thunder's ready. What do you say? Will you race in the Charlottetown races after Spring break?" Zev asked.

A ready smile flashed across the tanned face of the MacIntyre woman. Holding the reins, she dismounted then ran a caressing hand across the horse's flank. When Yaron stepped forward to take the animal to be wiped down and attended to, Tali turned to Zev and they sauntered out towards the street and across to the pastureland. A long list of troubles had brought the two young folk together. So many changes in just under a year had begun to sap everyone's strength.

The dread concern over Mother Lanzbaum who, it was discovered, needed a serious operation that could only be performed down in Boston; an operation that in no way promised success, had the whole household worried; and what to do to help the proprietress of Banbury Cross who was experiencing dreadful spells of confusion was wrenching in the here and now. One moment she would be fine and the next she would conspire that Tali was not Tali at all, but her Emily. At these moments, Andrew MacIntyre would be resurrected, and the two dead siblings were lobbed back to their youth long before either of them understood the word tragedy. No one knew exactly what to say or do. This grand lady of perfection, this treasure of the island! It appeared Banbury Cross was losing everything that mattered.

Now that Grandfather had become obsessed with the evil Castlebalms, he scrutinized their every move, Tali was concerned. They could ill afford to lose another family member. Father Lanzbaum was lost to them in England. Then with Ariel, sea legging his way over to join up with the French underground in the hope of stemming the tide and saving his beloved, it left them bereft of any real hope for his survival.

How things had changed in such a little space of time. It couldn't be true. It just couldn't be. But every new day spoke the lie. And Tali could not fight it. Her only outlet was her horse. Her love for her horse and racing! During her daily runs with Thunder, she was able to get away from the sorrow; and the running, the running with the horse who could chase the wind, blew all her troubles straight out through all that thick mass of hair out into a misty vapor. Now that the horse was ready, it should have been an exhilarating anticipation; but how could it be living at Banbury Cross? Of note, Zev had become a bona fide friend. Tali could confide in Zev. The events at Banbury Cross had affected him deeply as well. Fate had thrown them together and together they were facing this challenging future. With Mother sick, he would finish his last months of school studying at home.

Gone were the immature battles that went on between them. At times the girl could even fathom what it was that set all the young Ladies after Zev's attention, his masculinity being everywhere evident and growing muscle always straining to pop the buttons of his shirts.

"Zev, what would you say if I told you that it's time for the Castlebalms to go?" Tali said.

The two young people crossed over into the pasture and walked far down the slope and out almost to the strait, a daily perambulation that took them away from the stream of care back at the inn, and far enough away that they could talk privately and be themselves.

"Popsy, are you serious? What are you thinking?"

"Zev it's as clear as the nose on a baboon's face. The time has come for these people to go. Grandfather has become fractious these days what with Grandmother getting so confused. I don't want any added pressure on the man. He takes the weight of all our troubles on himself. I can see it, and I don't want to be about losing another family member. I've been giving the matter careful thought. It came to me since there seems to be no end to them."

Tali was right. The Castlebalms were a burden. There was no way around it. He intimated his 'Yes they should go!' and could see the look of relief settling down onto her weary features.

"Well then it's set. I'm going to give them until the end of the month to make their move. I forgot to tell you Zev. I found out yesterday from Adelaide, poor sweet Adelaide, that there is a house just waiting for the taking over in Summerside. Aunt Olivia's mother died three years back and the house has been sitting there. It was bequeathed to Olivia's brother down in the States. But he's a doctor and busier than a bee, so Adelaide says, with his practice, and has no interest in the place and has told his sister, either she takes the house off his hands, or he's going to sell it. For insurance concerns, he sees it as a liability. Can you imagine? They've had a place all this time Zev and we've had to suffer all their croaking indignations for nothing. That's how I see it. So, don't be thinking I'm plain heartless," the girl said.

Zev had listened intently to the news report. He smiled at the girl and felt such relief for their predicament. He felt sorry for poor Adelaide. Her heart was in the right place. Who could know the suffering she'd known over the years? Well, the Castlebalms were history and Baruch Ha Shem! For the first time Zev reached out and took the girl's hand. Following so many mishaps in their relationship, he'd kept his distance. But now the time was right. It was friend to friend.

"The important thing Zev is that opportunity is knocking at the door, and I've no intention of letting it pass us by, especially as we could be saddled with these abhorrents for who knows how long. I'm telling Uncle tonight after dinner. Since today is the first, they have a full month's notice. The young man spread his understanding smile clear across the pastureland. If she didn't know better, it might have been Ariel's smile.

That night in the small parlor, the elder Castlebalm was confronted, and the property over in Summerside was brought out into the light. Tali exclaimed that with undue troubles of their own, the extended family would have to make use of this opportunity before the window was closed to them. As determined out in the pasture, the decision was intractable. They would be given until the end of the month to make the move. Castlebalm was stunned.

## CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

TALI'S POEMS

FOR SEVERAL DAYS, Orville Castlebalm seethed over this young upstart coming to give him his notice. The heir! She was a groveling peasant in his eyes. Rage oozed from his pores, twisted up his face and twirled around his stovetop mustache as he twisted it incessantly one way then another. Instinctively the man knew he had nowhere to turn. He had witnessed his sister's slow demise. It would not do to try to muster her support; and the other half was a pistol. He knew it all right. Those blazing eyes became a ball of yellow wax in the presence of the clan; so, the aging insentient kept to himself up in his room, or else he was up with Rasputin and out of the inn, and off up the road in his cranky old car.

Meanwhile the other Castlebalms wasted no opportunity to make life miserable. Banbury Cross held its breath. No one spoke of the decision. Nobody wanted to face repercussions if it could be helped. What was not discerned, was the fact that the man had not informed the rest of the clan.

The decision was forthcoming. Thunder would race after spring break at the Charlottetown Race Track. Life was beginning to take a turn for the better. Sheamus MacIntyre did not know how much better until he found out that the unwanted relatives were on their way out. To think that his feisty granddaughter had given them this ultimatum sent a shiver right up the man's spine. Why hadn't he given them the bum's rush before they'd settled down for the long winter's nap of a second winter? The thought of it made him cringe. Snakes!

Well, he guessed he knew why. It was the little wife that made even the most amoebic decisions at the inn and them being her relatives and all; besides, he'd never had as much as an inkling about the house over in Summerside. Things were looking up. He could relax now exceptin' for the elemental issue with Burdena. Not the same Burdena not by a stretch. Much as he wanted to cry over her trickling demise, in this he could let himself go. Horse racing was always a torch setter between them and since she had all she could do to wrap her mind around the workings of the inn......well... things were looking up.

Oh, he missed the good doctor. Kept Gordon on his toes! He remembered them tarring and feathering the Captain now and again following one of his outbursts out at the lighthouse! He missed them days. But the letters kept coming and the doctor kept Gordon apprised of what was happening with the war across the Pond. Gordon had been counting too. Four times it was the makeshift hospital was near wiped out, and two times a neighbor got the full blast. Almost got you feeling sorry for that infernal England. Course the letters were not to be shared. Lanzbaum was against creating undue worry, so Gordon kept the war stories to himself and the Captain. Anyway, Sheamus liked things man to man.

These days Esther was confined to bed. Letters from her husband sat on a nearby table. Though it taxed the woman's strength, each day did she compose her own letter. The rest of the household maintained their correspondence too. The weight of each letter corresponded to the age of its writer. Moreover, Yaron would himself affix a handsome rendition in pen and ink and watercolor of a bird or any animal of one's choosing to any needy letter. But under no circumstances was Father Lanzbaum to be told about his Esther's difficulty.

"Zev look at me. Yaron, listen carefully. I have informed the household that we are not going to bother your dear father with my dilemma. There is nothing he can do. Father would worry himself silly if he were told, and he already has more worry on his head than ten men could hope to carry. Isn't that right?" the woman intoned.

"Auntie Miriam has seen to it that I am now in the care of the very best doctor in the Americas, Doctor Allen B. Aldrich at Massachusetts General Hospital down in Boston."

Two black heads nodded in agreement.

"Yes! Well we are going to let this famous doctor down in Boston do all our worrying for us. He is the top in the world in the matters of the heart. He has the mind for this kind of worry. Our only worry is whether we are carrying out his instructions. He has put me on a regimen that I have been following faithfully for the past two weeks. We should be hearing soon when he would have me come to Boston."

"Mother I wish there was something I could do for you," blurted Yaron.

"Yes of course. Anything Mother!" Zev agreed.

"Zev, there is something you can do for me. You see that package up there? Bring it to me. There, Son!" Mother said.

Zev looked across the room but saw nothing that looked like a package. But Yaron, the visual Lanzbaum, spied something brown that might be a package on top of Father's tall armoire. Zev reached up a hand and plucked it down. Yaron piped up with, "Is it something good Mother?"

"Something very good, Yaron."

The two young men exchanged glances. Mother Lanzbaum feeling herself getting quite exhausted from the visit pushed herself to continue. "Boys you open the package." She said.

Yaron hardly waited for Mother to get the words out, until he was ripping and shredding the brown paper wrapping. Inside was a white box with gold trim. Mother encouraged him on with her expressive eyebrows. Yaron pounced on the box relieving it of its cover. Inside lay four little books. Lifting them up, he read Tali's Poems.

"There! Tali's poems are now published." Mother said.

She leaned back upon the pillows, her breathing shallow. The visit was taxing what little strength she possessed. The boys were disposing of the wrappings and looking at the poems, Esther made one more attempt to speak.

"I feel I have done something ever so worthwhile even while being confined to this room all these months," she said.

The woman was wanting to tell them the girl produced such good work she could not rest until something was made of them. During her convalescence, it came to her to take the best of them and submit them for publication. Tali had so many interests, the woman felt she would not do it.

Zev read Little Starfish. It gave him a twinge of delight. He handed it to his brother to read.

"Now remember Zev, one is for Tali to keep, one is for Banbury Cross, one we will send to Father, and-----Whew! I think I must rest boys,"

Just in time Lyla appeared. Esther smiled weakly as Lyla swept the room of them.

The following afternoon Zev found the authoress pitching hay on the east side of the barn. As Tali pitched hay over into the horse's corral, the horse padded back and forth. He came to Zev with his victory walk. Maybe he was thinking he had a carrot for him. He'd have to be disappointed this time. Zev turned to the girl.

"Hey, how about pitching some of that hay right down here? I've got something I want to show you," he said.

Tali gave the Lanzbaum fellow a steady glance then took several pitches of hay and dropped them at his feet. Then flinging the pitchfork away to the left, she slid down the haystack onto the newly-forked hay Then pulling herself up, she strode over to the farm tool and stuck it into the ground with a thrust that had the instrument reeling back and forth until it settled straight up. Zev threw himself down onto the bed of hay while Tali dropped to her knees before him.

She looked at him then took hold of the book he held out to her.

"Tali's Poems?"

"Yes! Mother took it upon herself to have your best poems published Tal. You know how much she admires good literature." The girl was transfixed. Here she was on the printed page. Her name. Her words.

"I can't believe your mother did this!"

She stared at the little book amazed.

Zev remembered the poem he'd read.

"How about that poem Little Starfish? Where'd you get the idea for it? It's a head turner. Know what I mean?"

Tali felt ten feet tall. She'd discovered she loved writing and here was some serious affirmation.

"Zev it was easy. That first day down at Cornwall Cove a little boy found a starfish. He'd never seen one. I hadn't either. But he asked me why the starfish had fallen out of the sky. So really the credit must go to him. Anyway, when I had to come up with ideas for my writing lessons, I remembered the little boy. That's it."

"Well would you do me the honor of reciting it? Don't forget there's going to be a lot of people asking you to do readings from here on out. I say make your debut right here out under the haystacks."

Zev had hardly gotten the words out when Tali jumped on top of him. She wanted no part in public appearances. Zev laughed out loud as they tussled about, her thick hair getting into the fray. Zev got himself above her then raised himself up as though he were about to get up. But in a twinkling, he grabbed hold of her and off they went into another roll then another and another. The laughter was musical confetti in the wrangle of arms and legs. It was exhilarating. It gave them a release from all the burdens they'd been carrying. Finally, they lay on the green grass looking up at the sky. Tali looked at Zev.

"Well, if I did give a recitation, I'd have to have an introduction."

"That sounds about right."

"So, if I were speaking to children, I might say_

One evening, a little boy looked up and saw all the stars. The next day he was down at the beach and he picked up a......... I would hold it up and they would say...starfish! Then I would say, 'And what do you think he was thinking? And they would tell me, 'The starfish fell out of the sky.' And I would commend them and then recite the poem."

***

**

LITTLE STARFISH

Little starfish tell me why

You up and fell out of the sky.

When did you go and get a notion

To jump into that great big ocean?

But since I'm only just a kid

I'm very, very glad you did.

Little boy with eyes so blue

I came to earth to play with you.

I did not fall out of the sky

Our great Creator put me by.

The starfish say it is a joy,

That God would make a little boy!
Early the following morning, word came that Esther Lanzbaum should come down to Boston in haste. Doctor Aldrich was ready to receive the patient. No time to spare. Zev headed to the schoolhouse to collect his brothers. Lyla performed a lightening bed bath, put the woman into a soft silk gown then bundled her up in a velvet robe. Mr. Waterman arrived with his wife Caroline. She would stay at Esther's side all the way down to Boston.

Gordon came home from the lighthouse with the Captain, put him in his cage, and came and sat out on the veranda beside Burdena. Dandelion welcomed himself onto the woman's lap as though it were the bed and breakfast sign.

The boys arrived home just as Mr. Waterman carried Esther downstairs. All their well thought out goodbyes seemed stuck in their throats once they apprehended how final their words could be. Mr. Waterman slowly made his way to the waiting Rolls. Esther was ensconced into the interior of the car. The key turned in the ignition. The boys surrounded the car and followed as it inched its way out onto the country road. By the time the car pulled away from them, they were but small black specs of paper origami being tossed about in a wayward wind.

## he

THE LIQUOR CABINET

SPRING BREAK DESCENDED upon the inn and the scampering of feet in and out of the big rooms was like a battalion let loose. The twins were scurried off to the lighthouse every morning where the Captain kept them entertained. Gordon was thinking about the stallion and planning his bets, all the while praying his old luck would return. He pulled on his beard. How his life had been brought back from the dead. Fully resurrected. He thanked his lucky stars for it. But in the end, he knew there was only one person to thank. The feisty granddaughter.

Back at the inn tempering breezes lifted heavy hearts. Lyla's penchant for hard work shone brightly. The inn register bulged. The waitresses had added duties. But they were always rewarded.

"Oh, you go on now and take dis home to de family and don't be saying dey don't need 'em!"

So, it was that Betsy Waterman would be so weighted down that often Zev would pull out the old grey Ford and give her a lift home. Betsy adored Zev, but she knew it was Tali who he liked; but since Tali showed as much feeling for Zev as she did Dandelion in that regard, maybe there was hope for the girl.

Daniel and David were dispatched as couriers these days. They gave up the idea of a future in lemons and now that Yaron was looking to become a renowned artist, no pestering by the younger siblings could persuade him to revisit the tree fort. Thus, the younger boys advanced in standing in the tree fort. Zev carried on with the workings of the inn. Help was scarce. Then it happened.

Orville Castlebalm descended upon Banbury Cross one afternoon, apart from his usual manner. There was no brisk entry, no headlong race up to his room. Today he sauntered in through the great French doors; head up and without fanfare he got himself over to the large parlor with the big wide cabinets. One could see he knew the workings of the inn and of the hidden liquor cabinet. He reached right out, zipped open the doors, and had the lazy Susan serving up his preference, and that 150 proof. An ice bucket sat straight up on the sideboard. He got hold of some ice then poured out a lush golden intoxicant. After letting the liquid slosh around in the glass for a moment, he raised it and took it down in one smashing go, then quickly poured out another drink took that down, poured out a third and carried it and himself away to a big easy chair leaving the liquid refreshments sparkling in their bottles and open to any passers-by.

There were four more days before the ultimatum would be upon him. Castlebalm was desperate. He'd always known about the house that belonged to the wife's mother and knew it could have been procured from the brother at any time. What he didn't know until recently was that the brother was going to give them the place outright. But Castlebalm didn't want to leave Long Creek. Unbeknown to anyone, the man had a girl on the side. Yeah, she was a tramp. But there was nothing fusty about her like everything else in his poky life. He wasn't going to leave her. Not on your life. He had to come up with a plan. He needed time to straighten out his affairs. Maybe he would get hold of the house; but he wasn't going to live in the thing. He would sell it, take the money and rebuild the homestead. N'if he even let the wife step one foot in that house over in Summerside, she'd dig in and set up a howl to be heard clear across the island. He was not having that. That was a big that. Besides, Marlie was threatening to leave him if he moved over to Summerside. He couldn't talk her out of it.

When there was nothing left in his glass but the ice, he pulled himself up and poured out another drink repeating the same snooker doodling paradigm as before then settled back down. How was he going to thwart the inevitable? How? Bloody, bloody how? Suddenly the picture of his own place burning to the ground came into his head. It swirled around and around inside his head. The hot embers and pieces of burning wood, the choking smell, the hopelessness he'd felt when all was lost, it all licked around his head making him want to strike out.

Augh! What good did it do to dwell on the disaster? What did it matter? Did anybody care? No! Nobody cared! Man! The bilious thoughts would not subside. His head was like a grinding machine. How would they like it if they were to see Banbury Cross burning to the ground? Fire raging all around them. Suffocating them.

Suddenly, the thought struck him. Hit him like a truck.

Could it be? But how? This was preposterous! He held his hands up to his head and squeezed. It calmed the man, but the bilious thoughts still percolated. Yes! Here was something that if executed with stealth and expertise could buy him a smidgeon of time. Time always seemed to be one's enemy or his friend.

His errant thoughts stole across the driveway to the barn, the big barn. Not the entire household and the end to habitation. Nothing as severe as he'd endured. This would put the establishment in a bustle, yet hardly sear his conscience and most importantly not drive him to the street. He did have some sense of right bearing. This could do it.

The man drank, and he mulled, then he drank, and he mulled. One more drink! Up and over to the cabinet, now back in his hooch. Thinking through the entire scheme again, and again, no inciting problem came to mind. Why, in the aftermath he would humbly offer up his own two sons to give a hand in the raising of the new barn. He'd grown tired of hearing Olivia snivel every time he needed help in the past. It was time his boys got a taste of some old-fashioned work. Why, the MacIntyres would be grateful for their help. He laughed sardonically to himself. Besides Banbury Cross has enough money to be raising ten new barns.

The thought of these bourgeoisie rankled the man, and to think it had been right there for the asking. He considered how he had waited too long to approach his naïve sibling. Suddenly he was brought to himself by this very sibling.

"Why Orville, it's you brother. I'm glad to see you. Oh my! They're opening up the cabinets and celebrating something. We must try and find out what we might be missing. How is Olivia, is it? Oh dear! Yes, yes, your wife. Of course. She has been down in the dumps I think brother. You need to be paying her more mind is what I'm gathering. Oh dear! I think that's it. Course you didn't hear it from your dear sister now you hear?"

The man smiled a perfunctory smile seeing he was plainly drunk and could not help himself. He looked at the woman, his younger sister, his usurper in life. Something inside made him feel it served her right getting these spells. He would bide his time, soon enough he'd be sitting back relishing every moment.

## CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN

HOW EASY IS LOSING YOUR MIND?

THREE DAYS FOLLOWING at the evening meal, the Lanzbaums were talking horse talk with Mr. MacIntyre. The old man took pride in sharing the horse's record speed for the quarter mile race. Zev made room for Tali who arrived late. Suddenly he remembered he'd forgotten to remove the bag of feed from Thunder's stall. A horse could eat himself to death he'd learned. His heart raced.

What is wrong with me? he thought.

To avoid alarm, he dismissed himself from table saying he'd be right back. Once outside, he made his way over to the barn. He arrived at the horse's entrance. Relief! The horse had not overeaten. Good news, very good news. He patted the horse's rump then took hold of the bag of feed, got it tied up and dragged outside. Upon reentering the big boxed-stall, he put his nose in the air, took a good whiff then spun around.

That smells like gasoline! Meshugana! That is gasoline!

His throat pounded as he edged his way past the stallion and got himself against the connecting wall. Peering between a narrow slit in the barn boards, something caught his eye. Leaning into the boards, he could see a flicker of light. It was coming from up in the loft. The pungent odor began to choke him again. Adrenaline shot through his body as he realized the animals were in mortal danger.

They could all be burned alive.

He shuddered as the fumes closed off his throat. Muscle grew and became militant. Lifting the latch, he eased himself into the barn. It was black. His eyes needed to come into focus. The animals were stamping and hollering in their way, bleating, braying, quacking, squawking, choking. Zev was grateful for the noise. He needed to get to the loft undetected. The climb was swift and panther-like. Something powerful had taken command of his body. At the top of the stairs, he staggered. The pungent odor ripped through him. All the hay was doused with gasoline. Soaked through and through. Fear was crawling all over him.

He clung to the shadows. Then the light appeared again. No! A lit match? A lit match shaking in a devil's hand. Seeing nothing, hearing nothing, the diablo detected an intruder. He was not alone with his murder and mayhem. It jacked up his jitters. Gripped him. He took one step back, and one step back and one step back and____ suddenly the light jumped up and fairly danced in mid air, then poof, disappeared. Struggling, Zev crept forward until he reached the place where the light disappeared. The night was black. He reached out and could feel the barn boards and then the opening. He peered out into the black of night on the east side of the barn but could see nothing. He opened his eyes wide, and wider. Still night, still black, still the abject nadir of nothing until, just now the crescent moon was tripping out from behind a heavy cloud. Whoa!

The boy stepped off the earth. He felt his body wrench. His breath got sucked out as he grabbed hold of the beam above him. His mind exploded. That there was a gaping corpse staring up at him bug-eyed, suspended between heaven and earth, run through by a pitching fork told him

'Y-o-u-h-a-v-e- l-o-s-t -y-o-u-r-

m-i-n-d!'

## CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

NO WORDS NEEDED

OLIVIA CASTLEBALM TOOK her brother's offer and after her husband's funeral began making plans for the big move. Finally, the day arrived. Down the staircase they came single file, each one shrouded in stoic good-bye effrontery. Tali, eying the lot, stepped forward and with gentle firmness requested a word with Aunt Olivia. Alone in the study Tali takes a solemn stance.

"Aunt Olivia! I have read somewhere that death wears a big hat."

The woman is startled.

"Oh! What are you saying?" she asked.

"I am saying that sometimes a shadow hangs over our future. And since you are of a delicate nature Aunt, and being left with no income, Banbury Cross is prepared to offer you an income."

The Castlebalm woman is thunderstruck. What was the niece saying? What could this possibly mean?

"Why... that is quite...generous of Banbury Cross," she haltingly ventured.

Tali locked eyes with the elder woman.

"Yes! We will employ Adelaide and offer her room and board and you will be paid a healthy stipend every month," Tali said.

"Why I depend on the girl for my every need!" the woman exclaimed. "Edema has been completely dispossessed of......shall we say... details..... I could never rely on the girl."

"Aunt Olivia! With the stipend Banbury Cross is prepared to offer, you can afford to hire a servant and still have plenty of money left over."

Olivia Castlebalm's cerebral hemisphere became electric. Tear ducts sparked and sputtered. A Christmas tree in the making, she veritably twinkled.

"Well!" she charged, "Let the stipends begin!"

Emerging from the study the woman went straight for her daughter. She embraced the girl whispering, "Daughter, kiss your mother good-bye. You will stay at Banbury Cross until the cows come home, or until they run out of money, whichever comes first."

When the last Castlebalm had removed himself from the inn, Tali turned to her cousin. The poor girl had her arms wrapped tightly about her waist as though it was the only thing holding her together.

"Don't be frightened Cousin. With Father's inheritance, I have bought myself a sister." Tali said.

Adelaide stared in amazement. People were not just plucked out of their stations in life, were they?

"Do you really mean it?" Adelaide asked.

"Yes!" Tali said enthusiastically. "You and I will be sisters, Cousin. We'll do all the things sisters do like spending whole afternoons down at the beach."

"And if life gets difficult, we'll just find ourselves another beach. That's what some poet said," Tali added gleefully.

The girl couldn't speak. Tali looked at the cousin and reached for her hand. But more than offering a hand, Tali had opened a door. Adelaide was scared. Her heart skipped two beats and an involuntary sigh came out like a proclamation.

"Adelaide Castlebalm is going to fly!" And then she giggled.

## CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

FALLING IN PLACE

NEWS CAME THAT the horse races over in Charlottetown would be postponed for several weeks. Clamor over misused funds had resulted in an investigation. But due to the sudden turn of events even Gordon was relieved, for the days of waiting to hear word of Mrs. Lanzbaum had come to an end. Not the happy-ending everyone longed for. The entire house went to grieving. Black shades were pulled down over blue skies. No more happy-go-lucky-days. Death tucked them in at night and pulled them awake every morning.

No one could see an end to the sorrow. Tali, who wanted to be brave for the boys' sake, found herself fighting a wave of her own sorrow. Esther Lanzbaum had truly been a mother to the girl, a guide and friend; and to her surprise Tali was finding herself mourning the loss of her own mother whom she never knew. Gordon would be the designate who would send word to the doctor. It grieved him to do it, grieved him past wanting a drink or anything like it. Lyla sent her condolences but had to keep writing over and over for not being able to keep the paper dry. The idea of Mother in the ground, settled down on Yaron and would not let him be, and the fact of Father being away so long made Mother's demise more real and final to the lot of them. It was like a two-ton truck of sorrow had mowed them down. Tali took on the challenge of being a mother to the little ones. She grew stronger, took on the responsibility of the inn and her grandmother besides.

Word came from France. Ariel was wounded but on the mend; even better news; through the underground he had located Rebecca. Mercifully, the family was not discovered. After two days together, they married under a prayer shawl, and together were working for the resistance.

Father Lanzbaum had a bout with influenza but was regaining strength. One could read between the lines; the man was throwing himself into his work for the obvious reason. The Gablehursts had offered to bring him home and were waiting for his replacement to arrive. Burdena had reached the point where Tali would forever be her Emily. Tali accepted the transfer. No longer did she have to hide her picture or never speak her name.

Everything has its way of falling into place. Thus, it happened not many days hence, after brushing down the horse that Zev called out for her to come take a break under the big Elm tree. He held out her little book of poems. The light shimmered and shone above, and then peeked down on them between the leafy-shade. Zev looked at Tali then lay back on the grass looking up at the sky. She took the little book of poems and began reading.

r

***

SUNFLOWER

Let the wind reach up for the sky. Let the barren desert cry. Yesterday This primordial sun worshipper

Moved into my oblique garden

And the symmetry, the majesty Caught the world off guard.

The sky came down to make an Inquiry. I laughed out loud to think This dollop of sunshine could turn

That blue, blue sky into radiant Specks Of yellow gold. This Overgrown garden guest standing There clocking in the breeze looking Passionately to the light making Itself crazy for the light!

"That's so describes a sunflower Tal."

"I imagine it describes the lot of us."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, the first man and woman were placed in a garden."

"And?"

"Well look. Here we are in this island garden and I don't think I would change it for anything," Tali said.

Zev turned and looked at the girl. He could not believe she'd said these words.

"What's the matter Zev? Did I say something wrong?"

The young man let his head fall back upon the hay. He smiled and looked up at the sky.

"No Tal. You've said everything right. It couldn't be more right."

To my reader,

Reviews are like gold to authors.

People always like to see what others

have to say about a book before purchasing. If you liked my book it would mean the world to me if you will leave a short review at your preferred venue. And to you, my heart-felt thanks.

