He takes them down to where Burl the chandler’s shop is located and stops in front of it. As he gets down from his horse he sees Mary, Devin’s mother, coming out the door carrying a bundle of goods.
“Good day, Mary,” he greets her.
“Why, James,” she says to him, a smile on her face. “It’s so good to see you. How is Devin doing?”
“He’s taking well to it,” he says. “He seems to be enjoying it.”
“Good,” she says, almost breathing a sigh of relief. “He’s always been a quiet boy and I was worried about him.”
“He’s doing fine,” he assures her.
“He never did much care for the farm,” she says. “Oh, he did well and I believe he would’ve made a good farmer, but his heart never was in it. I remember when you first came to us, his eyes lit up at the things you talked about. And then after you faced the demon, or whatever that was, I knew he’d never again be satisfied with farming.”
“I’m sorry,” he tells her.
“Oh, don’t be feeling bad or anything,” she tells him. “I may worry, but that’s a mother’s prerogative. I know a boy must find his own way, maybe this is his. At least with you, he shouldn’t get into any real danger.”
James glances to Jiron a second then says, “We’ll try to keep him safe.”
“I know you will,” she says matter-of-factly. “You’re a good man. But I must be off, no telling what the girls have gotten themselves into while I’ve been here in town.”
“You take care Mary,” he says.
“You too, James, it was nice seeing you,” she says as she moves past him with her bundle. Down the street, he can see her horse and wagon.
Feeling better about Devin being out at The Ranch, he proceeds into the chandlery.
Burl is behind the counter and looks up as the door opens. He breaks into a smile when he sees them walk in through the door. “Welcome,” he greets them.
“Good day to you Burl,” James replies.
“What can I get for you today?” he asks.
“Just looking around,” he tells him.
“If you need anything, just let me know,” he says.
“I will,” James assures him.
As they move through his shop, he looks at the goods and tries to come up with an idea, possibly a variation on what’s already available. He sees bolts of cloth and other items people may want to buy, but nothing really springs to mind. Discouraged, he leaves the shop as Burl’s “Come again” follows him out the door.
“Didn’t find anything?” Jiron asks him.
“No,” he replies. Before mounting, a thought suddenly occurs to him. He looks around at the people on the streets and a smile comes to his face. Why didn’t he notice it before? Turning around, he returns to Burl’s store. Ten minutes later he leaves, Jiron and Miko laden with several bundles each.
“What do you want with all this stuff for anyway?” he asks.
“You’ll see,” he replies cheerfully. Yes, you’ll definitely see.
Back at The Ranch, he has them put all the bundles in his room and then asks Tersa to join him there. Before closing his door, he asks Jiron and Miko to leave.
“Why?” Jiron asks as he’s being escorted out.
“Because I like surprises,” James replies, shutting the door in his face.
As he stands at the door with his ear to it, he tries to listen in to what they’re saying inside.
“That’s not very polite,” admonishes Miko.
“Neither is shutting the door in my face,” he retorts. “Shhh!” he says to Miko as he tries to hear what’s being said inside. James is talking so softly that he can’t make out the words.
Suddenly the door opens up and he stumbles into the room, almost colliding with his sister. “Jiron dear, be good enough to bring the bundles to my room. Thank you.”
He moves aside to allow his sister to pass through the door and then he turns to see James smiling on the bed. “What?” he asks, his smile making him slightly irritated.
“Oh nothing,” he tells him.
“What’s going on with my sister?” he asks.
“Nothing to be worried about, I assure you,” he replies. Then he nods to the bundles sitting on his bed, “Your sister is waiting for these I believe?”
Giving James an annoyed look, he picks them up and takes them to his sister’s room.
“Just what are you up to?” Miko asks him from the hallway.
“Like I said, I like surprises.”
From the other side of the house, James hears Tersa’s door slam shut and then he sees Jiron stalking into the front room.
When he sees James looking at him, he says, “She kicked me out!”
“Why don’t you take Miko and see if you can bring in some meat?” he asks.
“Alright,” he says. Then to Miko he adds, “Grab that crossbow of yours and we’ll see what we can do.”
“Okay,” he tells him as he moves to get it.
James watches him go, I suppose I could’ve told him, but I do like my surprises. This won’t generate a great deal of coins, but it should bring in some.
Getting up off his bed, he heads back out to his workshop to see about resolving the hiding spell. The rest of the afternoon flies by as he works on it and by the time dinner is almost ready he thinks he may have it. But he is so tired from all he’s done that he decides to wait until morning before attempting it. No sense in taking chances when he is this tired.
After dinner, Tersa lets him know she’s done. While they’re all in the front room relaxing, he has her bring it out.
“Finally!” exclaims Jiron.
They all wait expectantly while she goes to her room to get the big secret. When she returns, she has in her hands, an object. It’s about a foot in height, with two stubby arm and two stubby legs as well as a mouth sewn on and two eyes.
“What is it?” asks Roland.
“A teddy bear,” James explains.
“What’s it for?” he asks.
“Tersa, give it to Arkie,” he says.
Bringing it over to where Arkie sits in Ezra’s lap, she holds it out to him.
They all stare as he looks at it and then tentatively reaches out and grabs hold of it. Brining it closer he looks at it and then hugs it. He finds the soft material Tersa had used for its outer shell feels quite soothing against his skin and the stuffing within is soft and comfy.
“That’s what it’s for,” he says. “It’s for kids, small kids mostly. Where I come from, every child has many of such things.”
“You going to sell them?” asks Illan.
“Delia will, I’m sure,” he says. “Tersa will get a copper each and the rest will go to The Ranch to help keep it going and pay for the supplies.”
“You’re not going to be able to charge much for them,” Roland says.
“Probably not,” admits James, “but it’s a start.” He looks to Arkie who has snuggled up with the teddy bear and has a most content look upon his face.
“Thank you,” Ezra says to him.
“You’re welcome,” he replies. In a world where every woman can sew, there may not be a great market for this, it’s true. But hopefully, initially, it will sell well. If nothing else, it will bring the children happiness.
Chapter Nine
