An Indiana Christmas by An Indiana Christmas (epub)

Author:An Indiana Christmas (epub)
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Indiana University Press
Published: 2020-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

The whole day was magic for Elspeth. Christmas Eve and the shivaree and in the parlor the waiting Christmas tree. Only at Christmastime did the parlor come truly to life: in summer a snowball bush, white as a cloud but noisier, tapped at the parlor window. In winter the snow was there, white too, but silent. But on ordinary days, now that the children had left home, it was empty of any eye to see or ear to hear. The tappings went unremarked. The snow-crystal pictures melted and in the common runoff of water at midday bore no sign of what they once had been.

Toward evening when the shadows of the pine trees along the driveway were already long and blue on the snow, Elspeth began to think with longing of the tree. There was no one about. Uncle Stephen was helping in the barn with feeding; Grandma was busy with supper, and Aunt Lidy had been nowhere to be seen for hours.

The tissue paper bell swayed a little, but was silent as Elspeth crossed the room toward the parlor door. The Christmas tree was secret, not to be really seen until Christmas morning when the presents were unwrapped, but the parlor door was unlocked and quick peeks not forbidden. It was as if Grandma knew that there must be a few stolen glances beforehand if the full sight of the tree’s Christmas morning glory were to be endured.

But the opened door stayed open, and when it closed Elspeth was inside the parlor, close to the beautiful and shining tree, able to smell, to touch, to stroke. She stood with eyes closed for a minute, then opened them and the little parlor with its red carpet and stiff white curtains was alive. It was as if a flower had fallen into a dead shell, or a bee had crawled into a thimble. Or as if inside a marble clock that no longer ticked, a live butterfly fluttered. The tree had made the room alive. It was so beautiful Elspeth wanted now to be forever. And it was forever, only Aunt Lidy spoke and now came back again.

“Aunt Jetty,” she said in her voice that had to Elspeth the sound of bees in it. She was sitting in her white dress by a window, just as she had sat that morning.

“I’m not supposed to be here,” Elspeth said. “I oughtn’t to be here,” she whispered, feeling wicked to be in the parlor, talking the day before Christmas.

Aunt Lidy held out her arms and pulled Elspeth close to her so that she felt the soft warm springiness of the white wool dress. “Neither should I.” Then she said, “Will you do something for me?”

“What is it?” Elspeth asked.

“Take a note down the road to Mel Venters? It’s just a step really. It’s stopped snowing and the wind’s died down.”

“Grandma’ll never let me.”

“I know. I’m sorry—but I’d fix it so you could go without Grandma’s knowing.”

It was all planned. She would take Elspeth upstairs after supper and instead of putting her to bed would bundle her in shawls.

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