Texas Gal
by C. Sprite
© 1999

 

Chapter Seventeen     Home on the Range

Since the next morning was Saturday, everyone was at home. We shared our first communal bath in Auntie's enormous tub in weeks. This was always the highpoint in our day, and it was what we missed most when traveling. Susan and I had awoken Auntie and run the bath. Mother joined us soon after we settled in, followed quickly by Judy and Mary. Even with six of us in there, there was a still a lot of room left in the enormous tub. We discussed our plans for the weekend, and then for the remainder of the summer. When our fingers started to prune, we finished our bath and got out to towel off and powder ourselves. Susan and I put on our robes and returned to our bedroom to dress. We were going for a ride after breakfast, so we put on ranch clothes.

Susan and I were the first to reach the kitchen this morning, so we started breakfast. I made French toast using the recipe that I had learned from Tony in Portland. Susan made fresh OJ, and cut up some fruit. After preparing the French Toast mixture, I made a pot of tea. The rest of the family filed in slowly and I started to cook the French Toast as they sat down. When the first eight pieces were ready I brought them to the table and returned to cook a second batch. After dishing up the second batch, I returned to the table and sat down. I took two pieces and put the rest in the center of the table. The dish emptied quickly, as it always did. I still had not told anybody the secret formula for making the French toast, and having a monopoly, on the making of the best French Toast in the house, always kept it in demand. When a member of my family would ask me to teach them, I would put them off with one excuse or another. It had become a game of their trying to find out how I made it, and me trying to keep the secret.

After we had eaten, and cleaned the kitchen, we went out to the stable. As always, it was work before pleasure, so we cleaned out the stalls before saddling the horses for our ride. We had packed a small lunch to bring with us, and we stayed out until early afternoon, having eaten by the brook where we usually stopped. As I had been away for several weeks, Emily had not been ridden, and she seemed to enjoy the outing as much as I did. I had given her my apple at our lunch break, as had become my custom. She always looked for it now on our rides. When we returned to the stable, we wiped down our mounts, and then went up to the house to enjoy a cold drink. After cleaning up, we changed our clothes; preferring summer dresses on this hot day, over the jeans and boots that we had worn for our ride. A pitcher of lemonade was brought out to the front porch where we could rock and relax the afternoon away.

The main topic of discussion was next week's visit by Dr. Clark and her twin daughters, Melanie and Melissa. This would be their first visit to the ranch in the two years that we had been here. The young girls were now 8 years old, and I wondered if they would remember us from the one time that we had met in the park, so long ago. They would be arriving at Dallas-Fort Worth airport on Tuesday. Mother would drive up and pick them up, with the round trip probably taking about three hours. Judy and Mary would be going back to their summer jobs on Monday, so Susan and I would make the trip with mother. Mother had purchased a big Chevy Impala last fall, and it should easily hold all six of us plus their luggage.

We relaxed on the porch until the afternoon shadows lengthened enough to tell us that it was approaching dinnertime. Judy and Mary went inside to start our evening meal while the rest of us continued to rock and make conversation. When Mary called out that dinner was ready, we all rose and went upstairs to the kitchen. Judy had made chicken cutlets to go with the mashed potatoes, string beans, and fresh biscuits that Mary had prepared. It was nice to eat out in fancy restaurants, but after weeks of such fare, it was wonderful to enjoy some home cooking.

After we had eaten and cleaned the kitchen, we all went down to the theatre to enjoy some television. With our months of studying, and the time spent traveling, I was unfamiliar with local broadcast schedules and programming so we switched the channel until we found something of interest. At 10 o'clock, I said goodnight to everyone and went up to bed. I had just climbed into bed when Susan came in. We talked as she performed her nightly rituals and then climbed into bed also. We continued to talk for several minutes after turning out the lights, and then we drifted off to sleep.

I dreamed once again of being a slave-girl in a middle-eastern fortress. It was a variation on the theme that had continued to permeate my dreams for the past two years. I dreamt that I was chained to a post in a large open area. It was an auction, and I was the merchandise being offered. Large men with rough hands examined my body like they would examine a horse before buying it. With the skimpy clothes that I wore, there was little hidden, but that didn't deter them from poking and prodding every part of me. Dirty fingers invaded my mouth as they inspected my teeth. The third time that my mouth was violated, I bit the fingers. The large man screamed, and, pulling his hand back, raised it as if to hit me. The auctioneer stopped him by kicking him in his backsides as the other bidders laughed. The auctioneer said that if he wished to beat me then he must buy me first. When the bidding began, the man whose fingers I had bitten caused the bidding to be quite spirited by immediately outbidding each offer. But he stopped when the offers exceeded the meager amount that he was capable of paying. When the auctioneer pronounced that I was sold, a cloaked figure handed a pouch to a servant, who then brought it to the auctioneer. The auctioneer checked the contents and declared the transaction complete. I was led back to the pens to await the end of the auction, when their new owners would pick up their slaves. Another girl was being led to the block as I was locked into a pen.

When the auction was over, I was removed from my pen and led away by a burly individual who barely said several words. After following the man on a winding path through a massive structure, I was chained to a wall in a small room. My hands were chained behind my back, so I could offer no resistance. Additionally, a short chain ran between my ankles, effectively hobbling my movements. After what seemed like hours, I was retrieved and again led down a corridor, but this time I was put into a large, ornately decorated room with a massive pile of silken pillows in the center of the room. The burly guard pushed me down onto the pillows and chained me to a ring in the floor. Only about two feet of chain separated my iron collar form the ring.

As in my previous dreams, a cloaked figure entered via a secret doorway hidden by a Persian rug that was mounted on the wall. The cloaked figure stood over me and said, "I paid much gold for you today. You're my slave-girl now and there is no chance for escape. I own you and you will serve me faithfully or suffer the consequences, do you understand?"

"Yes, Master," I said. "I understand that you have purchased this worthless slave-girl. She is your property now and she will do whatever you wish. How may she serve you, Master." He approached me and knelt on the pillows. As I lay helpless on the pillows, he lay down on top of me and began to passionately kiss me. I began to get aroused and kissed back. Suddenly, I felt a bright light on my face.

I opened my eyes and realized that I had been dreaming again. It was morning and the first rays of the morning sun were falling on my face. I thought about the dream that I had just been having. It was the latest in a long line of similar dreams. They always seemed to end the same way and left me feeling so sad that I woken up. As I stirred, Susan woke up. We got out of bed and walked to Auntie's bedroom. I pulled back the curtains to let the sunlight into her room. Auntie groaned and rolled over as the sun's rays fell on her face. She pulled the pillow over her face and settled back down to sleep. Susan went in to run the bath while I climbed up onto Auntie's massive bed. When I had positioned myself next to her, I started to gently run my fingers over her sides where I knew that she was most ticklish. Within 30 seconds she was awake and thrashing around to avoid my hands. Then she went on the offensive and attacked me with the same technique. When Mother, Mary, and Judy walked into the room, the two of us were rolling around on the bed screaming with laughter.

Mother smiled and said, "Who's the tickler, and who's the ticklee?"

Auntie and I stopped trying to tickle each other and we slowly got ourselves under control. Climbing off of the bed, we joined the others in the tub. We were still giggling as we sat down into the warm and refreshing bath water. We relaxed and talked on a variety of topics. When we got out of the tub, we hurried to dress and then have breakfast. Since this was Sunday, we would be attending services today.

At the church, we stood around and talked with the other parishioners. Several told me that they had missed my baked goods at the fair this year. I apologized and explained that I had been away during the fair, and the bake sale. I noticed that the two Fuller boys kept staring at my sisters and me. They had been steady admirers since we had started attending services but they had never worked up the courage to speak to us. We filed into the church when services were about to begin. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that the Fullers spent a lot of time looking in our direction. When services were over, we drove home to enjoy our day of rest in each other's company.

As we neared the ranch, Judy asked Auntie if she could drive up to the house once we were on our own land. Judy had passed the written test and received her learner's permit two weeks earlier.

Auntie said, "I'll do better than that. Wait until we let everybody out of the car."

Once in front of the house, we all got out of the car except for Auntie and Judy. Then Auntie drove down to the airstrip behind the house. For the next hour Judy drove up and down the mile long paved runway with Auntie sitting alongside and giving pointers. The runway was a perfect place for first driving lessons. It's smooth, straight, and flat surface was devoid of any traffic. And even if you drove off the side, you were in no danger in the flat field of hard dirt and prairie grasses. When they came into the house for lunch, Judy was smiling from ear to ear. At lunch, Auntie praised Judy's rapid progress. I was excited by the possibility of her having a license when we went to Austin in September. It would surely make things easier.

	Darla Anne prepares to saddle Emily

After lunch we all went to the stable and saddled our horses for an afternoon ride around the ranch. Since Judy and Mary were going back to their summer jobs tomorrow, this was our last chance for a family ride until next weekend. We had brought some drinks along and we stopped at our favorite spot by the brook to enjoy them. As we sat in the shade of the trees, I thought back to the time that we had all gone 'swimming' in the brook after Mary had fallen in, and I smiled. Mother noticed my smile and asked what I was thinking about, so I told her. My explanation rekindled memories in everybody and in minutes we were all talking about it and laughing. Poor Auntie had missed the fun that day and she made the mistake of saying that she felt a bit left out. Susan, always the prankster of the family, immediately jumped up and started pulling Auntie's leg in pretext of dropping her in the brook. Within seconds we had joined in and had lifted Auntie off of the ground. She screamed as we swung her back and forth, and then released her to fall into the brook. As we let go, Judy failed to let go of Auntie quickly enough and got pulled in also. I probably don't have to tell you what happened next. The two wet ones didn't want to be the only ones to go swimming this day, so they chased the rest of us around until they were almost dry. But they never succeeded in getting anyone else into the water.

When we arrived back at the house, four of us were clean, but two of us looked like natural disaster victims. Mary, Susan, and I looked after the horses while Mother went up to the house to help the 'dirty duo', as we had named them, get cleaned up. By the time that we had finished and gone up to the house, Auntie and Judy were already out of the tub, and were getting dressed. We had some more fun at their expense during dinner, but they accepted the jesting gracefully, and even joined in. After the dinner dishes were washed, and the kitchen was cleaned, we went to the TV room and watched a movie until it was time to go to bed.

The following morning Judy and Mary left to return to their summer jobs. Mother, Susan, and I spent the morning preparing two bedrooms for Dr. Clark and the twins. After lunch, Susan went to the sewing room while I worked in the office on the mail that I had brought back from Portland. When I had finished, I joined Susan in the sewing room. She was working on making her first dress and it was beginning to take shape. She had cut out all of the pieces using a pattern that she had bought, and was now sewing the pieces together. She had learned how to use the sewing machine faster than I had, and she was much better with the intricate work. With all of the beautiful clothes that Grandma had bought for us, Susan didn't have to make a dress, but she had been wanting to try to do it for a long time. By late afternoon Susan was ready for her first fitting. She put on her dress and I pinned the hem for her. Mother came in and helped to mark the dress where adjustments would have to be made. It was getting near dinnertime so we finished up for the day and went upstairs to prepare our evening meal.

Auntie arrived home right at six o'clock and we were ready to sit down and eat. Over dinner we discussed Dr. Clark's arrival. We talked about things that we could do while she and the twins were here. Naturally, Dr. Clark would have the final say. It would be up to her if we spent the entire week sightseeing, or just hung around the ranch so that she could rest.

The next morning, Mother, Susan, and I headed north on our way to the airport. It seemed strange that I had done so much flying during the past two years and yet had only been to this airport once before when Auntie and I first came from New Jersey. Arriving at the airport a little early, we parked and walked to the terminal. We located the gate where the plane carrying the Clarks would park, and we sat down to wait. Ten minutes later a large Boeing 707 pulled up to the gate and after another short wait the passengers deplaned via the rolling stairway that was pushed up to the plane. Dr. Clark and the twins were among the last passengers to exit the plane and the little group trailed behind the others as they walked towards the gate opening where we waited. Dr. Clark had her arms loaded with bundles and she was trying to keep the twins in check as they chased one another around her.

After all of the other passengers had passed us, we stepped into the path of the Clarks while they were still 10 feet away. Anita Clark smiled warmly as soon as she recognized us. The twins stopped running around their mother and stared at us momentarily before running towards us shouting "Darla Anne, Darla Anne." I smiled at them and stooped down as they approached me. They both ran into my arms and we all hugged. The twin on my right had a very tiny freckle above her mouth near the outside edge of her nostril, which meant that this was Melanie. With this clue I was able to greet each twin by name, as I kissed her on her cheek, since they were identical otherwise. In the two years since I had seen the twins, they had grown considerably and had changed from very timid six-year-olds to very spontaneous eight-year-olds. I was surprised that they had recognized me and said so. Dr. Clark told us that she had shown the girls my high school graduation picture that Mom had sent to her a month ago. Susan and Mother greeted the twins after I did, and the twins were almost as outgoing with them as they had been to me, but the girls returned to hold my hands after the embraces had been exchanged.

We collected the bags from a harried agent at the baggage claim center while Mother went to get the car. Mother met us at the curbside so that we wouldn't have to carry everything out to the parking lot, and the trunk of her Impala was so enormous that it swallowed up the entire assortment of luggage with room left over. I was glad when we were finally away from the frenzy of the airport travelers who were rushing to catch flights, or on their way back home. I would appreciate not having to use commercial airports that much more in the future.

As we drove up the hill, and the house came into view, the twins started bouncing up and down in their eagerness to get out and start exploring the ranch. Mother stopped the car in front of the house and we all got out. While we retrieved the luggage from the trunk of the car and carried it into the house, the twins raced around the outside of the house, burning up some of the pent-up energy and exuberance held in check by a long plane ride where their mother had forced them to sit still and act like little ladies. After two trips around the house, and totally out of breath for the moment, the twins joined us in the large entry hallway. Mother gave a very quick description of the layout of the house before leading our little entourage upstairs to the bedrooms that we had prepared. Dr. Clark said that the twins could have their own room for as long as they behaved. The girls quickly agreed to be good while they were visiting the ranch, and to do everything that Mrs. Drake, Susan, or Darla told them to do as if it was coming from her.

Mother helped Dr. Clark unpack while Susan and I went with the twins to help them. As we were finishing, Dr. Clark called to us from the doorway saying that she wanted the girls to go on a tour of the house with her and Mother. Susan and I tagged along behind as the Clarks were shown around, first with the upstairs rooms, and then the downstairs. They were as impressed as all of our visitors were with the enormous house, which seems more like a small hotel than a private home. At the completion of the tour we all headed for the upstairs kitchen to prepare a late lunch. Susan and I made tuna salad sandwiches while Mother and Dr. Clark sat at the table and talked. The twins sat and fidgeted as they waited for lunch to be ready.

Melanie spotted the picture of the 'Bliss Sisters' and pointed it out by saying, "Look, Mommy. They all look alike."

Dr. Clark turned around to look at the picture, then stood up and walked over to give it a closer examination. "It's amazing, Liz. You do all look so alike."

Mother said, "We made a special effort. We all have a naturally similar facial structure. We wore identical dresses, shoes, and jewelry. Judy, Mary, and Susan had had their hair colored to match Darla, Katherine and myself. We had our hair styled the same, and colored our nails with the same shade. The older girls even wore colored contact lenses so we would appear to have the same color eyes. It was fun, and the portrait turned out wonderful."

"I love it. But why the 'Bliss Sisters, instead of the Drake Sisters?"

"It was a joke started by Darla and Katherine. When Darla first came out here to live, they pretended to be sisters a couple of times. We really noticed the striking similarities when Mary and Darla had their pictures taken at a photo booth on a fairgrounds midway, so we decided to get a family portrait taken with us purposely attempting to look the same. I think that we succeeded."

"You did indeed. You have to look close to distinguish who's who. And I'm not even sure that I can identify everyone with any certainty."

"Don't feel bad. I doubt that anyone could."

Susan announced that lunch was ready and we all sat down to eat. I poured Cherry Kool-Aid for the twins, and retrieved a pitcher of iced tea from the refrigerator for the rest of us. After lunch we all changed our clothes and went out to the stable. The twins had been anxious to see the horses from the minute that we had arrived at the ranch and they couldn't contain their excitement as we entered the stable and introduced them to each horse. We had brought an apple for each horse and we showed the twins how to offer it so that they wouldn't lose any fingers. Melissa was the first to put her new knowledge to the test, but she dropped the fruit and pulled her hand back very quickly as Emily dropped her head to take the apple. After a bit of coaxing, we were able to convince her to try again. This time she steeled her nerves, followed our directions exactly, and Emily was able to get the apple from her. Her smile seemed to spread from ear to ear as she watched Emily eat. Melanie was next and was able to hold steady enough on her first try so that Mae could get an apple.

After each horse had received an apple, we let it out into the corral. The twins turned up their nose when they learned that we had to clean out the stalls, but pitched in when we promised that, as a reward, we would let them ride the horses tomorrow. The twins came into one of the stalls with me, while Mother and Dr. Clark took another, and Susan took a third stall. Melissa worked tentatively at first while Melanie worked aggressively once she understood what had to be done. Not willing to be shown up by her twin, Melissa attacked the job with new energy. Once the twins understood that it was okay to get a little dirty, they actually seemed to enjoy the job. After we finished the first stall we moved on to another. Mom, Dr. Clark, and Susan were already working on their second. With all of us working, our chores were completed in short order. With the stable clean, we walked outside and stood near the corral fence while we watched the horses. Susan and I carried some fresh hay to the corral while Mother added fresh water to their trough. After the chores were completed, Susan and I spent some time explaining about the different breeds and different personalities of the horses to our visitors. The twins listened attentively, never letting their eager little eyes wander very far from the horses in the corral. When we had completed our little instruction session, we spent about another hour answering questions, and by then it was time to go back up to the house to begin preparing our evening meal.

The twins ran ahead and waited at the door until we all got back to the house. After we had all gone to our rooms and washed up, we converged in the upstairs kitchen. With supper started, Susan and I took the twins to our room while Mother and Dr. Clark stayed in the kitchen to talk. Susan got a jigsaw puzzle from the closet, and dumped the pieces onto a small, square, folding table that I had placed on the floor; its legs still neatly folded beneath its body. We all sat on the floor around the table and worked on separating the edge pieces, from the center pieces. With all, or nearly all, of the edge pieces identified, we began to match up and assemble sections, and slowly the puzzle border began to take shape.

Mother and Dr. Clark were getting caught up on 'mom' talk as we worked on the puzzle in the bedroom. Mother said, "Anita, You look a little run down?"

"Yes, I guess that I am. The girls have been keeping me running since school let out. Oh, to be that young again, and to have all of that energy. I am really glad to be here, Liz. I may get a little rest with Darla and Susan to occupy the girls."

"They'll have a great time together. Both girls have been looking forward to their visit."

"Liz, how are things going with you?"

Mother smiled as she said, "Wonderful." Then looking a little sad, she added, "Of course, I miss my husband, but at least I'm completely healthy again." Smiling again she said, "And the girls have been doing so well. I've written to you about the wonderful grades that they've been achieving in school. I'm so proud of them. They work so hard during the school year that I sometimes worry about them, but they seem happy. And they enjoy the jobs that they have gotten with Mabel's companies."

"Yes, I've seen the publicity that Darla has been getting. They talk like she's a Supergirl who is even impervious to Kryptonite."

Mother laughed heartily at the remark. "Yes, isn't that hilarious. Mabel has been building a mountain of myths around her. What's most astonishing about all of the reports is that they all rooted in fact. Darla has an incredibly logical and orderly mind that has enabled her to perceive and clarify ambiguous problems when touring the lumber sites. But once she identifies a problem, others take over and resolve it. Mabel has allowed the myths that Darla is the driving force in the company to be perpetuated. She's a crafty old fox and I'm sure that she has her reasons."

"How is Darla Anne doing otherwise?"

"What do you mean?"

"I'm referring to her gender identity."

"Hmmm, that's what I thought you meant. Well, she doesn't seem to think about it, and we never talk about it. As far as the family is concerned she's just a normal, healthy, teenage girl. She continues to take the 'vitamins' that you send, and from all outward appearances she is female. We did have a few anxious days last year when she had to be examined by a doctor hired by the school, but I wrote you about that."

"Yes, it must have been harrowing, and it's fortunate that she and Mary look so similar. I'd like to spend some time with Darla while I'm here. I'll set up an examination time and we can talk then, when we're alone."

"Okay. And now I'd better start working on dinner. Kathy will be home any time."

Just as she finished saying that, Auntie walked in. After exchanging greetings, Auntie walked to her bedroom to change, and then returned to help with dinner. As she passed our door, she knocked.

We were lost in concentration until Auntie knocked on the bedroom door to announce that dinner was almost ready. Getting to our feet we went to the bathroom and washed our hands before heading as a group to the kitchen.

Susan and I pitched in to help complete the final preparations for dinner while the twins sat down to wait. Mother had just taken the chicken from the oven as we came in, so we were ready to sit down within a few minutes.

After dinner, Susan and I went out to take care of the horses. The twins trailed along and watched everything that we did, from a safe enough distance, which would prevent them from getting stepped on accidentally. We returned to the house after the horses were cared for and resumed work on the puzzle until bedtime. Dr. Clark came in at 8:30 and announced that it was time for the twins to go to bed. Like all small children everywhere, they put up a mild protest, but their yawns showed this to be a hollow protest. The trip, the time difference, and the excitement of the day had taken their toll on the young bodies, and there was little doubt that they would sleep very soundly tonight. Susan and I continued to work on the puzzle for a little longer before starting our own bedtime preparations.

With company in the house, there would be no communal bath times. We had long ago established that rule for the sake of social propriety, so the following morning, only Susan and I shared a bath in the large tub in our bathroom. While the tub did not match the size of either Auntie's, or Mother's tubs, it was more than large enough for three or four at the same time. We relaxed in the warm, soapy water as we talked about what we should do today. We had promised the twins that we would let them ride today but that wouldn't last very long because they were not used to riding, and an extended ride would leave them sore for days. An hour's ride would be more than enough for today. As we discussed the day's activities, we were surprised to hear a knock at the bathroom door. I asked, "Who's there?" already knowing the answer. Auntie or Mother would have entered as they knocked, and neither Mary nor Judy was at home right now. That left only the twins, or Dr. Clark, and it's easy to distinguish between the knock of an adult, and that of an eight-year-old.

In response to my query, both young girls, still dressed in their nightgowns, stepped cautiously into the room after opening the door. "Darla, we're sorry to bother you. We came to see if you and Susan were up yet. Oh, Melanie, look at all of the bubbles." Both girls came rushing over to the tub, their invasion of our privacy completely overlooked. They totally forgot themselves, as children usually do, and started giggling and swiping at the mass of bubbles floating on the surface of the bath, until their arms were covered in suds.

Melissa surprised me when she said, "Can we get in also?"

To which Melanie added, "Oh yes. Please, please, please?"

Both girls immediately started to remove their nightgowns in preparation for getting into the tub.

Susan, speaking softly, said, "Girls, I don't know if that would be okay with your mommy, so we have to say no."

The twins stopped undressing and looked at me. Melissa said, "But, but mommy said that we have to do whatever you say, so if you say that it is okay, we can do it. Please Darla Anne?"

"I'm sorry, girls. Susan is right. Your mommy may not approve. She's a doctor, and doctors are always concerned with spreading germs, so she may not approve of our bathing together. We can't let you join us without her permission."

Melissa said, "But, Melanie and I always take our baths together. But our tub isn't as nice as yours. We only have a tiny one."

"You and Melanie are sisters, like Susan and I are, so it's okay to take your baths together. But your mommy may not want you to bathe with us because we are not your sisters. Do you understand?"

"We'll go ask her," Melanie said. "Right now. Let's go, 'Issa."

Both young girls pulled their nightgowns back on and ran out of the bathroom.

"Do you think that Dr. Clark will let them bathe with us?" Susan asked.

"I think that it's unlikely, since she is aware of my little…. deformity. I'll have to be very careful while they are here."

The twins didn't return and we finished our bath without further interruption. In preparation for an active day we dressed in ranch clothes. Mother was already in the kitchen making breakfast when we got there, so we pitched in, and breakfast was ready to eat when Auntie, Dr. Clark, and the twins arrived.

Melanie, looking very contrite, said, "Darla, Mommy said that it was inap.., inap.., inappro…priate for me and Issa to bother you while you were in the bathtub. We're sorry."

I looked at Dr. Clark and saw her nod.

"That's okay honey," I said to Melanie. "I'm not upset. Now why don't you and Melissa sit down so we can have breakfast? We have a big day ahead of us."

Both twins smiled widely, and I knew that they were thinking about riding the horses, as we had promised yesterday. They gobbled down their breakfasts in what must have been record time, and then sat impatiently until the rest of us had finished. Auntie left for work as we cleaned the kitchen, and the twins started jumping up and down as we finished and announced that we could now go to the stable.

When we arrived at the stable and the twins learned that we had to clean the stalls first, they temporarily lost a little of their enthusiasm.

"But we just cleaned them yesterday," Melissa said.

"We have to clean them every day, dear," Mother said. "It's necessary in order to prevent disease and infections. We want our horses to remain healthy, don't we?"

Melissa just nodded.

We let the horses out into the corral and cleaned out the stalls. The twins worked as hard as they had yesterday. When all of the chores were done, we saddled all six of the horses. It was instruction time again as we showed the twins and Dr. Clark how to prepare the horses for the ride. While Susan and I worked with the horses, Mother went up to the house and prepared a drink and snack to take with us. When she returned we were all ready to leave, and Susan opened the gate to the corral before climbing up onto Mae. I led the way, with the twins behind me, followed by Dr. Clark and Mother. Susan caught up with me and we led the group on a very slow walk away from the house and barn. We kept a vigilant eye on the twins are we progressed. At first they were hanging onto the saddle horn for dear life, but gradually they relaxed as they got used to the swaying motion of the horses, and they began to move with the rhythm of the motion.

We took the short route to our favorite watering hole and stepped down when we arrived by the brook. Susan and I helped the twins down as Mother spread a blanket out. I expected the twins to be a little sore but they were ready for more. The only sore one was Dr. Clark. Her life in the city, while quite active, did not prepare her for this kind of activity. Although we had only been riding for a little more than a half-hour, she was a little stiff as she climbed down from Henry, Auntie's Appaloosa.

Mother handed out paper cups full of fruit juice, and Susan opened up the package of Fig Newtons as I hobbled the horses. I joined the group on the blanket when I was done, and enjoyed a cookie and drink as we watched the twins race around chasing butterflies.

We all jumped up when Melanie ran a little too close to the water's edge and slipped in the soft mud. As she tried to regain her balance she fell into the water. Dr. Clark was at the water's edge and jumping in to save her daughter before we could stop her. There was little danger to Melanie since the water was never more than two feet deep at the center of the brook, and right now was probably not over a foot deep. Melanie was already beginning to stand up as her mother reached her.

Verifying that Melanie was all right, Dr. Clark picked her up and carried her out of the brook, dripping muddy water as she stepped onto solid ground. After scolding Melanie for being careless, Dr. Clark helped her to take her shirt and pants off so that they could be rung out and hung up to dry on a low branch of a nearby tree. Then she did the same for herself. In the hot summer sun, the clothes would be dry in no time, and as we sat on the blanket we related the stories of our own experiences in the brook.

Hearing of our watery adventures lightened Dr. Clark's mood. She grinned and said, "It looks like there is a new 'dirty duo' now. Too bad that Judy and Kathy aren't here to see it."

The fact that she could joke about it indicated that Dr. Clark's anger with Melanie for falling into the water, had subsided. With their clothes dry, although quite muddy looking, they dressed for our return trip to the house. By the time we arrived back home, Dr. Clark was in a good mood again, and the twins were as ebullient as ever, even if they didn't look very much like twins right now. Melissa was almost as clean as when we had left, while Melanie was muddy from head to foot. Susan and I took the horses while the rest of our little party went into the house to begin the cleanup. Mother had offered Dr. Clark the use of her enormous tub, so that she and Melanie could bathe together.

With the horses cared for, Susan and I went up to the house and cleaned up before changing into light summer dresses. Mother was in the kitchen working on lunch and we pitched in to help out. When the light meal was ready to serve we sat down and waited for the Clarks. The twins arrived a few seconds before Dr. Clark appeared.

Melanie ran up to me and said, "Darla Anne, we had a bath in your mommy's tub. It's almost as big as a swimming pool. It's even bigger than yours is. Mommy let Issa come in with us also."

Melissa added, "We had bubbles too, just like you and Susan had."

"That's wonderful," I said, smiling. "And you both smell so clean and fresh now!"

Dr. Clark had arrived by then and she said, "Okay girls, take your seats so we can have lunch."

Both girls said, "Okay, Mommy," and sat in the seats that they had been occupying at mealtimes.

As we ate, we discussed what we would do for the rest of the day. Dr. Clark was a little sore and just wanted to relax a bit, so it was decided that she and Mother would relax on the porch while Susan and I occupied the twins. Discussing what we could all do together, they decided that they would like to help us bake something. Although it was a warm day, the large downstairs kitchen would be comfortable enough. We wouldn't turn on the ovens until they were needed, and we could leave the room while the baking items cooked.

Susan and I cleaned the upstairs kitchen before heading downstairs with the twins. We discussed what we would make and decided upon four cakes, and several batches of cookies. Two of the cakes would go to Grandma's house because we always made extra for her and Charles whenever we baked. With our dessert menu decided upon, we began to assemble the ingredients. Before starting we put on our aprons, and put aprons on each of the twins. Then with measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls, and stirring utensils at the ready, we began to prepare the deserts. We kept the twins busy with the stirring as Susan and I measured the ingredients. About halfway through the process I turned on the ovens so that they could preheat and reach the proper temperatures.

When the cake pans were filled and the cookie sheets were lined with uncooked cookie dough, we popped them all into the ovens, and turned to survey the kitchen. The mess was staggering, and each of the twins was covered with mixing ingredients as well. I didn't want to disturb Dr. Clark, after the mess that she had faced earlier in the day, but I did ask Mother to come into the house for a few minutes. When I told her what I wanted, she hurried upstairs and got her camera. I hurriedly threw some ingredients into a mixing bowl and had the twins start stirring again just as Mother arrived and started taking pictures. After capturing the moment, Mother returned to sit with Dr. Clark while Susan and I set about cleaning the kitchen and the twins. Keeping a close watch on the time, I began to remove the baked items from the ovens as we worked. By the time that the kitchen was once again spotless, the ovens had been turned off and everything was cooling on stop-tops or counters. It would be a while before we assembled the cakes, so we went out onto the porch to join Mother and Dr. Clark. We had made some fresh lemonade and carried it out, along with a dish of warm chocolate chip cookies.

The twins excitedly related to their mother how they were instrumental in baking the cookies. Dr. Clark, being a successful physician with a thriving practice, had no time for baking, so this was an entirely new experience for the young girls. It was obvious from their excitement that they had enjoyed it. Almost as much, it seemed, as they enjoyed the cookies that we had made.

As we sat on the porch the twins once again became restless. They began to explore the front yard as we rocked in the shade. As four o'clock approached, Susan and I decided to finish assembling the cakes, so we called to the twins and they hurried along behind us as we returned to the downstairs kitchen.

We had earlier prepared the pudding filling and icing that would be used on the cakes, so all that remained to be done was the assembly. Never the less, we all donned aprons, for this final step. I worked with Melissa, and Susan worked with Melanie, to instruct them on how to spread the pudding on the cooked cake sections, and then to spread the icing on top of each assembled cake. After completing the four cakes, we cleaned the kitchen and the twins again, and went upstairs, taking one of the cakes with us for tonight's dessert. Mother and Dr. Clark were already in the upstairs kitchen, having come in to start our evening meal. With little to occupy the twins, they started fidgeting around, so we took them to our room and we worked on the puzzle that we had started the day before, until Auntie called us for dinner.

Following dinner, we dished out portions of the new cake, and everyone commented on how delicious it was. Remarks by Susan and myself that Melanie and Melissa were largely responsible for making the cake had both twins beaming with pride. Afterwards we cleaned the kitchen and then went downstairs to the theatre to enjoy a movie. Auntie had a copy of an old 16mm Black & White movie about Peter Pan, and we decided that the twins would enjoy that the most from the available selections. As it turned out we all enjoyed watching Mary Martin fly around a stage set, singing and cavorting with a spotlight that represented her fairy pal, Tinkerbell. And we all clapped as hard as we could when Tinkerbell was weak and needed reaffirmation of the audience's belief in fairies. When the movie ended the twins ran around pretending that they were flying, and Dr. Clark led them off to bed after they had kissed each of us goodnight. We rewound the movie reels back onto their original spools so that they would be available for the next time, and then headed upstairs ourselves. It had been a long day and we were all tired.

Susan and I fell asleep quickly after completing our nightly rituals. I must have been even more tired than I thought because, the next morning, I didn't recall having had any dreams, which was very rare for me and usually only occurred when I was totally exhausted. The sun seemed to rise even earlier than usual, and woke me up as the rays settled gently upon my face. Susan was stirring as I opened my eyes and we smiled a good morning to each other before rubbing our eyes and shuffling silently to the bathroom. We completed our bath without interruption today. I half expected the twins to put in an appearance, but we never heard so much as a knock on the door. When we had dressed we walked to the kitchen where we found Mother already preparing breakfast. I cut some grapefruit while Susan set the table. Mother had made biscuits, sausages, and scrambled eggs. We sat down to eat just as Auntie came in.

Aunt Katherine had an important meeting today and was dressed in a new business suit, as befit the president of an up and coming oil company. Auntie's company had found large deposits of oil while doing exploratory drilling on Grandma's ranches, and on the lands of Westtex Foods. She had also signed leases with several other friends of Grandma who would only allow an 'environmentally careful' drilling company to work on their land. Today's meeting was with a group of bankers from whom Auntie was seeking working capital to develop the petroleum resources that her company had located. She took the time to protect her blouse from grapefruit splatters by tucking her napkin in beneath her chin, like a bib.

"Auntie, you look wonderful," I said. "You're sure to impress the bankers today."

"Thank you, Darla Anne. First impressions are important, but I hope that they are more impressed with my presentation. We really need a large infusion of capital if we want to develop all of the reserves that we've located. I expect some resistance because the return, per barrel, will not be as much as other oil companies realize. The extra cost of preserving the environment cuts into the profit margin. But without those preservation techniques, we wouldn't be getting the oil at all."

"What happens if you don't get the money?"

"We'll still move ahead, but not as quickly. We will have to pay as we go since much of my financial reserve has been exhausted in doing the exploratory work. The proceeds from each completed well will pay for the next efforts, and the momentum will increase as we deliver product, of course."

"Kathy," Mother said, "we still have a considerable amount of money left from the sale of the construction company assets, and the house. It's yours if you need it."

"Thanks, sis, but let's think of that as a last resort fund. Things shouldn't get that tight, but I appreciate the offer. We know that the oil is there, we believe that we've analyzed the difficulty of bringing in the wells, and we think that we have accurately predicted the cost per barrel for producing the crude."

Finishing her grapefruit, Auntie rose from the table and went to the sink to wash her hands. She said, "That's all that I have time for this morning. I have to run. Wish me luck."

We all said, "Luck," as Auntie picked up her purse and briefcase, and hurried out of the kitchen.

Auntie had been gone for perhaps ten minutes when Dr. Clark came into the kitchen, wearing a housecoat over her nightgown. She sat down as she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and said, "Where are the twins?"

"We haven't seen them yet this morning," Mother said.

Dr. Clark's eyes opened wide as she sat upright. "They're not in their room. I assumed that they would be in here." Her voice had risen appreciably as she talked.

"Stay calm, Anita," Mother said. "They have to be here somewhere. Perhaps they're in the theatre downstairs, or running around pretending to be Peter Pan again. Let's all go downstairs and find them."

We got up and hurried downstairs, splitting up to check every room on the first floor before coming to the conclusion that they were not there. When we grouped together in the center hallway after completing the search, Mother said, "Darla and Susan, run out to the stable and see if the girls are there. If not, check all of the outbuildings. Dr. Clark and I will search the upstairs."

Susan and I ran out to the stable. Everything was in order but there was no sign of the twins. We let the horses out into the corral as we checked each stall. We also checked the loft before moving on to the barn. Not finding any sign of them there, we went into the garage, going so far as to even check inside the T-bird that Auntie had given me when I first came to the ranch. A thorough check of the main outbuildings had not produced a clue as to the whereabouts of the twins, so we checked the small sheds and then the hanger, but came up empty again so we returned to the house. Mother and Dr. Clark met us at the rear door, looking at us with anxious eyes.

"Did you find them?" Mother asked.

"No," I answered, "nor any sign that they have been out there today."

Dr. Clark let out a little gasp as her hands flew to her face.

Mother calmly said, "Well, if they are not outside then they have to be inside the house somewhere. It's an enormous place and we must have missed them. They may be hiding from us."

"Why would they do that?" Dr. Clark asked.

"Because they're children, and children like to play games. We just watched Peter Pan last night, and they saw the lost boys hiding from the pirates and the Indians, right?"

"R-Right," answered Dr. Clark.

"Okay, Susan and Darla, you check the kitchen and servant's quarters. Check very thoroughly and then check the basement. We'll check the rest of the rooms on this floor again."

Susan and I hurried to the kitchen and checked every place where a child could hide, including the ovens, walk-in cooler, and walk-in freezer. Not finding any sign of the twins, we used the stairway in the kitchen to descend to the basement. We checked the laundry room, including looking inside the washers and dryers. Most of the other rooms were locked so the twins could not have entered them. There was only one storage room that was unlocked and we checked that one thoroughly before taking the elevator back to the first floor. Mother and Dr. Clark came out to the elevator foyer when they heard the bell chime which announced the arrival of the lift cage. They had looked in every room except those that Mother had assigned to us and were starting a second sweep when we arrived.

"Any sign of them?" Mother asked.

"Nope," Susan said.

"Ditto, for me," I said.

"Okay, let's move to the second floor. Susan and Darla, you take the wing where your bedroom is, and we'll take the wing where my bedroom is. When we're done, we'll all go to the rear wing. Check every closet and hiding spot. They may have crawled in somewhere and fallen asleep. Okay, let's go."

Susan and I started with our bedroom, checking under the bed, in our clothes room and finishing up in the bathroom. Next we moved to Auntie's suite, and covered every inch before moving on to the other two bedrooms in this wing. We arrived at the hallway to the rear wing just ahead of Mom and Dr. Clark. Dr. Clark was beginning to look very desperate by now. We finished searching the remaining bedrooms and returned to the kitchen.

"I think that we should call the police now," Dr. Clark said. "The girls are not in the house."

"They must be here," Mother said. "We've just missed them somehow."

"How can we have missed them," Susan said. "We've searched all of the outbuildings and searched the house from top to bottom."

"Wait a minute," I said, "We haven't searched the house from top to bottom. We haven't searched the attic."

"We have an attic?" Mother said.

"Yes. Auntie pointed it out to me when I first came here. The entrance is in the back of the broom closet that's in the hallway leading to her bedroom."

Dr. Clark jumped up and led the fast moving search party to the broom closet. Throwing open the hallway door, Dr. Clark hurried into the room and pulled on the door which opened to reveal a set of stairs ascending to the top floor. We hurried up the stairs with Dr. Clark in the lead. I could hear Dr. Clark gasp when she reached the top of the stairs, then shout "Melanie. Melissa." I was right behind Mother and when I reached the top floor I saw Dr. Clark kneeling on the floor and hugging the two young girls, as she cried. We lined up around the trio and stood by as Dr. Clark let the pent up emotion slowly drain from her body.

As we waited I glanced around the attic. A number of old steamer trunks had been opened and their contents pulled haphazardly out. Old clothes were strewn all around us. The twins had obviously been up here for some time. Each was wearing an old dress and various accoutrements of formal dressing from long past eras.

As Dr. Clark regained her composure, she pushed the twins to arms length and scolded them for coming up here without permission. "We were so worried about you. We have been scouring the house and the ranch for the past two hours. I am very angry with both of you right now."

The very young girls, looking suitably contrite, said almost simultaneously, "We're sorry, Mommy."

"Well, I would hope so. You have been very bad. Mrs. Drake, Susan, Darla Anne, and I have torn the house apart looking for you. We were about to call the Police. Why did you come up here?"

"We're sorry," Melanie said. "We were exploring and found the door to the attic. Then when we found all of these pretty clothes we just forgot everything else."

"Look at all of the pretty clothes, Mommy," Melissa said.

"Yes, I see. Now take off the pretty clothes and come downstairs for breakfast. None of us has eaten yet because we have been searching for the two of you."

Dr. Clark stripped the gloves, hats, jewelry, and finally the dresses off of the two girls and we all went back downstairs to the kitchen. Part of the breakfast food was eaten cold anyway so there was no problem, and we warmed up the biscuits, sausages, and eggs in the oven, and reheated the tea. When breakfast was over and life was returning to normal, Dr. Clark apologized for what the twins had put us through.

"Anita, don't give it another thought," Mother said. "It was only a silly childhood thing. The girls didn't mean any harm. They were only being 8 year olds."

"Still, I feel so bad. I'll clean up the mess that they made as soon as I get them washed and dressed."

"We'll all work on it together. It won't take long to get everything back into the trunks. We'll clean the kitchen while you get dressed."

We had cleaned the kitchen and were having a cup of tea when Dr. Clark got back with the twins. All traces of aggravation and agitation were gone from Dr. Clark's face, and the twins were wearing their usual cherub faces. We put our cups in the sink and walked together to the attic. Our earlier visit had been our first foray into a bygone era as represented by the articles of clothing, and other personal possessions of Gabby's ancestors. The enormous house had an equally enormous attic, and the attic was filled with relics and memorabilia of the past. As we folded articles of clothing so that we could repack them, we couldn't help but hold them against our bodies and wonder about the people who wore them so long ago.

Before we realized it, we had stopped packing things away, and were actually pulling more things out of the trunks. In one of the large steamer trunks I found the most marvelous red silk dress. I guess that Gabby's ancestors were more than just 'simple country folk'. Investigating further we found underwear and foundation garments, shoes, hats, and every other article of clothing imaginable. Since the sun had been up for hours, the heat was beginning to build in the attic, so we each grabbed an armful of clothing that interested us and took them downstairs to Mother's room. We spread the clothes out on the bed and continued to examine the clothing from 'yesteryear'. We had also found children's clothing about the right size for the twins, although they wanted to pretend to be grownups and were trying to walk around in the high heel shoes with button closures.

"Has anyone noticed how small the waists are in all of these dresses?" Susan asked.

"You have to remember that virtually every woman wore a very stiff whale-bone corset at the turn of the century," Mother said.

"I saw a couple of them in one of the trunks," I said, "They're longer than the ones that Grandma bought for me. They must extend well below the hips."

"A true hourglass figure was the goal of most women back then. They began their waist training at a very early age and 18-inch waists were common. Clothes were very uncomfortable back then, even for men. Men wore stiff collars and some wore stiff, false shirtfronts. But their clothes were comfortable compared to the clothes that women wore such as bustles, corsets, and layer upon layer of petticoats."

"Do you think that Auntie would object to my trying on some of these clothes?" Susan asked.

"I'm sure that she wouldn't mind in the slightest."

"I just had an idea," I said. "What do you think about us having a 'dress-up day' where we all wear clothes from the attic? I think it would be fun. We could do it tomorrow. We start off the day by getting dressed in the old style clothes and stay that way until bedtime. We can change during the day as long as we remain only in clothes from the attic, that are consistent with the Victorian period."

"That sounds like fun," Susan said.

"Girls," Mother said, "we have guests and this will have to wait until a later date."

"I think it sounds like a delightful idea, Liz," Dr. Clark said. "Please don't put it off for our sake. I would love to see everyone dressed up in the authentic vintage finery of the 1890's. We'd like to participate if we may."

"You want the twins to dress-up also?"

"Why not? After all they were responsible for starting this. I think that it would be a nice change. This is a vacation after all, and doing unusual things certainly leaves you with nice memories until your next vacation." Looking at the twins she asked, "What do you say girls?"

Both young girls started jumping up and down, "Oh yes, Mommy," Melanie said.

"Me too," Melissa said.

"Okay, I guess that it is settled then. But tomorrow is too soon to schedule it. We have to air the clothes out to get rid of the camphor smell, and then we have to check the clothes to make sure that they are all still 'wearable', and we may have to make some alterations. Susan, since you have become so adept at using the sewing machine we will rely on you to handle much of that part."

"So when do you think that we could do it?" I asked.

"Today is Thursday, so the earliest would be Saturday. But we should wait until Monday so we don't make your sisters and aunt feel uncomfortable."

"Why should they feel uncomfortable. They would probably like to do it also. At least Judy and Mary will, I'm sure."

"Why don't we air out enough clothes for everybody" Susan said. "And if anybody doesn't want to do it then we can reschedule it. Why don't we tentatively plan on doing it Saturday?"

"Or Sunday" I suggested.

"No, not Sunday," Mother said. "We would have to go to services dressed like that and people would think that we are crazy. I'm sure that they already wonder about us after seeing all of the press people chasing after Darla Anne during the past year. Let's not give them anything more to gossip about."

"Okay," Susan said, "so it's either Saturday or Monday."

With the basic decisions made, we spent the rest of the morning making trips to the attic to retrieve clothing before beating a hasty retreat from the oppressive heat of the enclosed space. After lunch we washed and dried the clothes, and then strung several clotheslines between two of the outbuildings where we could hang all of the garments so that they could air out and loose the remainder of the camphor smell. When that was done we went for a short ride after cleaning the stable. Dr. Crane was still a little sore from yesterday but didn't feel any worse when we returned.

Auntie laughed when we told her of the planned dress-up day during dinner, and after a brief discussion she not only agreed to go along with the plan, but also actually appeared to become, first intrigued, and then enthusiastic about the idea. After dinner, and after we had cleaned the kitchen, we retrieved the clothing from the clotheslines and brought it to the sewing room. Using the library and office as changing and fitting rooms, we gradually reduced the piles of clothes into groups to be altered. I served as the fitting model for both Judy and Mary in their absence. Final fitting would be conducted tomorrow night when they arrived if they wished to participate in the event. To get a precise fit we had to dress in the full outfit that we would wear. As we expected, the most difficult part was with the corsets. The corset that seemed to fit me best was a very long version that extended from my bust to my thighs. Susan laced me, and then adjusted me after I had gotten used to it for awhile. A second adjustment shrank my waist to just 17 inches. The lacing was much stricter than I was used to with the corsets that Grandma has gotten for me, but I worked at controlling my breathing and slowly became accustomed to it. Once the two dresses that I had selected were measured for sewing, the die was cast. I would have to remain with this tiny waist size for the entire day.

Mother seemed to have the biggest problem with the corsets. She had never worn one before and, while at 37 she still had a wonderful figure, it caused her enough distress that she seemed to groan every time she moved. Dr. Clark was younger and, at 32, seemed to have less difficulty with the corset. The twins would only wear clothing designed for young girls and would not have to endure the restrictions of Victorian era corsetry. We had managed to find two plain white dresses that were quite similar, for the twins, and Susan was going to modify them with some lace trimmings that we had discovered in one of the trunks so that the dresses would look even more alike. After the fittings were completed we put most of the clothes out to air again, keeping those that we intended to work on tonight. Everything would remain outside as much as possible until Saturday morning.

We all continued to work on the clothing until bedtime. Dr. Clark returned to work with us after putting the twins to bed about 9 o'clock. It was nearing midnight when we finally turned off the downstairs lights and retired to our rooms.

After breakfast the next morning we all went for an hour long ride. Auntie had left for work, of course, but the rest of us were able to enjoy the morning activity. Dr. Clark and the twins were beginning to become more comfortable on horseback now, and cleaning the stable took no time at all with six pair of hands to do the work. The day was really beginning to warm up as we returned to the house. After wiping down the horses we took time to enjoy a glass of iced tea before beginning work on the clothing alterations.

We spent the rest of the day working in the sewing room, only taking time out to have a quick lunch. The twins spent the day playing board games on the floor of the library, or the sewing room. By 5 o'clock we had completed most of the alterations except for the clothes that Judy and Mary would wear. If they wanted to participate, we would need to have a final fitting for each of them. Susan and I continued working as Mother and Dr. Clark left to begin preparing supper and just before 6 o'clock Mary arrived home for the weekend. After putting her suitcase into her room, Mary went to the kitchen where Mother redirected her down to us after they had exchanged greetings. She stood in the doorway to the sewing room with her mouth open as she surveyed the sea of clothing items that covered the tables and chairs, or were hung from garment hooks on the walls.

When she found her voice she said, "What is this? Mother said that I had to come down and see the project that you were both working on."

"Come on over here," I said, "I'll show you."

We walked across the room and I took down a pink silk faille dress with a burgundy silk bodice and held it up against Mary's body. "I picked this out for you. I thought that you would like it."

"It's beautiful," she said, "but it's a little outdated."

"That's the idea. We're going to have a Victorian Day tomorrow. For the entire day we're going to dress in these old clothes that we found in the attic."

"Who is we?"

"Susan, Mother, Auntie, Melissa, Melanie, and me. Plus you and Judy if you want to join in. Participation is strictly voluntary."

She smiled and said, "Sounds like fun. I'm in. What time does it start?"

"From the minute that we wake up, and it continues until bedtime."

"Okay, but this dress will have to be altered. I can't possibly fit into this the way that it is."

"Yes you can. We have already altered it using me for a model. You and I and Judy are all about the same size."

"But the waist looks so tiny."

"Well…, you'll have to wear a corset. Like they did in the Victorian era."

Mary looked at me, with one eyebrow raised. "A corset?"

"Yes. We're all going to wear one. Except the twins, of course."

"Well, if everyone else is going to wear one, I guess that I can also."

"Great. Take off your shirt and jeans. We'll get started right away."

Mary removed her clothes and I wrapped a corset around her after she pulled on a chemise. Susan went back to her sewing as I assisted Mary in fastening the busk, and then I started to tighten the laces. She stiffened as I slowly reduced the size of the opening between the rear panels, and I knew that she was trying to control her breathing. I stopped when her waist had been reduced to about 19 or 20 inches, and tied off the laces.

"I feel like I'm being cut in half," she remarked.

"You'll get used to it in a few minutes. Just keep your breathing slow and even."

As Mary walked around trying to adjust to the corset, I returned to helping Susan. After 10 minutes I adjusted Mary's corset, and was just tying off the laces when Auntie came to tell us that dinner was ready. Because Mary was struggling to breathe we took the elevator to the second floor instead of walking up.

Mother smiled as we entered the kitchen. "Oh good, I see that you decided to join us for Victorian Day tomorrow."

"That was before I knew that I had to wear a corset for the entire day."

"Oh, it won't be so bad. It's just for one day. Your sister used to wear one every day until her figure filled out."

"I don't know how Darla Anne stood it for so long."

"It's not bad when you get used to it," I said,  "and it makes your figure look great. Just make sure that you don't try to eat too much for dinner. We still have to do the fitting for your dresses tonight. But the corset will restrict your eating anyway."

"We'll see, I'm starving. Let's eat."

Halfway through eating the portion of food that she had taken, Mary put her fork down. "I can't eat another bite" she sighed.

"The corset won't allow your stomach to expand," Mother said. "Don't force yourself to eat any more, dear."

We spent the rest of the mealtime talking about corsets and the effect that they had on woman's bodies in the late 1800's, and after we had finished eating and cleaned the kitchen, we all returned downstairs to finish the preparations for tomorrow.

We had just started working when Judy arrived home. When she heard what we were doing she agreed immediately. We decided that she should put on the corset before having dinner, as Mary had done, or she could not be laced down properly for the fitting. Mother went upstairs to prepare a plate for Judy while she stayed downstairs to prepare for the fitting. When she was laced down all the way, she went upstairs to eat. She and Mother returned about 20 minutes later and we turned our attention to her fitting. Susan continued her work on the sewing machine as rest of us helped Judy with her garments. Only Mary's clothing and Judy's clothing still required alterations, and by 11 o'clock everything had been completed, including ironing virtually everything except the corsets. The twins had been put to bed earlier and now the rest of us walked to our bedrooms for some much-needed rest, each carrying the clothes that we would wear tomorrow. As we conducted our bedtime rituals, Susan confided in me that she would have had second thoughts about doing this if she had known how much work it was going to be.

"I think that you've done a wonderful job on the alterations, Suz. I don't think that I could have done as quarter as much in the little time that we had."

"Thanks, Darla. I hope all of the stitching, and the original seams hold. I repaired some seams where the original threads were weak."

"Everything looks wonderful, and I think that it's going to be a fun day."

As soon as we had completed our nightly rituals, we climbed into bed and we were quickly asleep. Our very sound sleep seemed to be interrupted almost immediately by the first rays of the sun falling upon our faces. We climbed out of bed in an effort to avoid the intense brilliance of the sun once it had climbed above the horizon, ran our bath, and then we luxuriated in the warm, fragrant water amidst the frothy coating of bubbles. As we soaked, we talked about dressing in the antiquated clothes from the bygone era.

"Do you think that the heat will be a problem?" Susan asked.

"The weather report predicted average temperatures for today."

"But average temperatures are high this time of year."

"We'll just keep our activity to a minimum. Let's clean the stable early and then just hang out for the rest of the day."

"Okay," she said, "I'm about ready to get out of the tub. How about you?"

"Yep. Me too."

We got out of our enormous bathtub and dried ourselves off. Our only deviation from 1890's garb would be our panties and bras. Makeup would also be kept to an absolute minimum. We did spend some time on our hair though. We had decided to put it up into a bun style that we had seen in some old books, and it took a lot of work, and a lot of bobby pins, to duplicate the hairdo. When our hair was done, we began to dress in the undergarments that we would wear, beginning with a chemise and corset. We each tightened each other's laces and found it difficult to tighten the laces while still feeling the constriction of our own corset. After much tugging and labored breathing, we finally managed to get each other down to the size needed for our clothes. Once we were laced the rest of the process proceeded fairly quickly, but we couldn't have done it alone. The corsets prevented much of the movement that would have been needed to dress ourselves. Fortunately, we had put on the simple light cotton socks and ankle high shoes before the lacing because bending over was a real struggle. Following the corsets came the corset covers, bloomers, petticoats, and finally the dresses.

We had selected simple, light cotton dresses for early in the day. The dresses had back button closures that extended right up to the top of the neck. For jewelry, Susan wore a simple string of faux pearls, and I wore a gold chain and locket that I had uncovered in one of the trunks. Inside of the locket were the pictures of two young children, but I had no idea who they were, and neither did Auntie.

When we were done we inspected each other's appearance, and, satisfied that we looked every inch the picture of 1890's women, we headed for the kitchen. We were the first to arrive and we knew that the others were probably having difficulty with the clothes. Mother had prearranged with Auntie to work together, and of course Judy and Mary would work together as Susan and I had. Dr. Clark would dress the twins and then Auntie and Mother would help her. I expected that breakfast would be a little delayed today so I took the time to peel some potatoes in preparation for making hash browns, while Susan made biscuits and assembled the ingredients for omelets. While we were working, Judy and Mary came in. They looked wonderful, having put their hair up in buns similar to ours, and dressed in their pristine, and heavily starched, dresses. Judy was wearing a beautiful cameo broach, and Mary wore a gold locket watch that was pinned to her bodice. We spent several minutes examining each other's clothing, and we discussed the fit and comfort of the clothes. Then we turned back to the business of preparing breakfast since there would be all day to talk.

The table was set, and the food was ready, when Mother, Auntie, and the Clarks made their appearance. Mother, Auntie, and Dr. Clark all looked wonderful in their Victorian costumes, and the twins looked absolutely darling in their (almost) matching dresses. We spent a little more time modeling, and discussing the clothes before sitting down to breakfast. When we did sit down, the conversation naturally turned to a discussion of the discomfort of sitting while wearing a corset. My own corset was digging into the tops of my thighs during the entire meal, and it was actually a pleasure to stand up when the meal was over. Mother, Auntie, and Dr. Clark stayed to clean the kitchen while the rest of us went to the stable. Even though we would not be riding today, the horses still needed to be looked after, and the stable had to be cleaned.

We had to remind the twins several times to be careful with their clothes, and we managed to handle our chores without having our clothes reflect the work that we had just completed. When the horses where taken care of, we went for a walk around the outbuildings and along the runway. The temperature was already beginning to rise when we finally returned to the house to get out of the sun. Mother, Auntie, and Dr. Clark were on the front porch and we made a pitcher of cold lemonade before joining them. We spent the rest of the morning on the porch, talking and enjoying each other's company. Judy and Mary filled us in on what they had been doing at Grandma's businesses. Each had begun to love the work that they had been assigned and both were planning their careers around the industries where they had found themselves, much like Susan and myself.

Just before noon Grandma's car pulled up in front of the house. My sisters and I went to greet her and were very surprised to find her dressed like we were. I said, "Grandma, you look wonderful. How did you know that we were having a dress-up day?"

"Your mother called me this morning and invited me over. I decided that I would rather come over here than go to a stuffy bridge party at Helen LeRoy's house. I had this dress from a costume party that I attended a couple of years ago so I decided to wear it today. It is an original, just like the ones that you're wearing."

We all went up onto the porch and made the introductions. Grandma had stayed with the plane when we were in New Jersey, so she had never met Dr. Clark before. While Grandma joined Mother, Auntie, and Dr. Clark, the rest of us went upstairs to make lunch. The twins, tired of sitting around, came with us. I gave them each a small cookie and they sat quietly at the table while we worked, more content to sit in the room with us, probably because we are much nearer their age.

Because it was warm, and because we were feeling the heat all the more because of the way that we were dressed, lunch was entirely cold fare today. We made a large bowl of salad from fresh garden vegetables, and a small bowl of tuna fish salad. We also prepared a plate of cold cuts and sliced some rolls. A large pitcher of iced tea, and another of milk completed lunch preparations and the twins ran downstairs to announce that the meal was ready.

During lunch Mother announced that she wanted to take some pictures later. She intended to use Black & White film in an effort to give the pictures an 'old' look. Conversation turned to photography and Mother made a wish out loud that she had a darkroom nearby. She had taken some photography classes back in New Jersey and always had access to the photo lab in the school before we moved out here. Auntie suggested turning the storage room next to the laundry into a photo darkroom. Much of the conversation following that consisted of plans to accomplish the conversion.

When conversation lapsed briefly Grandma said to me, "Darla Anne, could you take a trip for me next week?"

"Of course, Grandma. What would you like me to do?"

"We have a potential acquisition in Vermont and I'd like you to do an inspection tour of the property."

"When would you like me to go?"

"Well, Dr. Clark and the girls are returning on Tuesday, so you could go then. You could all travel together as far as New Jersey, and Dr. Clark would save the return fare from the airline."

"Could I go with Darla, Grandma?" Susan asked.

"Certainly, dear. You make a good team."

"What is it that we want us to inspect, Grandma?"

"A small lumber company that was acquired as part of the deal in a corporate takeover. The new parent company is looking to unburden itself of any operations that will divert resources from its core businesses. They don't feel that lumber fits in with its dairy and farming operations very well. The asking price is very attractive and unless you uncover something that we have missed, it's a done deal. But we have to move quickly."

"Okay, Grandma. We'll leave Tuesday. Is there anything else that we should know?"

"I brought some notes and maps along with me. They're in my car. We can go over them this afternoon."

"Okay, Grandma."

An hour later we were sitting on the front porch discussing the acquisition. Mary and Judy had joined Grandma, Susan, and myself; and then Mother, Auntie, and Dr. Clark had taken a seat near us to listen in as well. Grandma had spread out the maps to show the location of the mills and the forestlands that were included in the acquisition. Arrangements for hotels and cars would be made before we left Texas. Grandma gave us a list of the logging equipment and plant assets that is to be included in the deal, and an up-to-date assignment list of management personnel working at the various locations, along with a summary of each manager's work history with the company. Grandma also gave me a copy of the report completed by the parent company's auditors, and a copy of an evaluation report completed by our own auditing department. I put everything back into the manila envelope when we had finished our discussion. Susan and I would review it again prior to our trip.

Although we had completed the discussion about our upcoming inspection trip, that was not the end to business discussions. We spent much of the afternoon behaving like an impromptu board of directors. Since Mary and Judy were working in Grandma's cattle and cotton industries, we touched on all facets of her businesses. With Auntie present, we were even able to get into the oil drilling operations and its impact on the cattle and cotton operation. Mother and Dr. Clark sat nearby during the entire discussion period, listening attentively. The twins, bored with the grown-ups talk, romped around in the huge yard in front of the house. It's amazing how small children can occupy themselves when there are no toys or game-boards around.

In late afternoon, Mother set up the tripod with her camera mounted on it. She positioned all of us, leaving a spot for herself. Before starting the self-timer she asked us to remain still and NOT smile. It seems that there are very few smiles in old photographs. The reason is probably because of the very long exposure times needed to record an image. It's difficult to hold a smile steady for 60 to 120 seconds. Of course part of the reason may be their clothes. Usually the pictures were taken as part of some special occasion when people wore their 'best' clothes. Stiff, starched collars, and seldom worn, possibly ill fitting clothes, do not make for a good time. Add to that the time required to hold a pose without moving while the camera recorded the image, and you can see why people didn't smile very much in those pictures. With everyone set, Mother started the self-timer and hurried to her position. Over the next half-hour she shot an entire roll, repositioning us no less than 5 times. By the end of the photo session she no longer had to remind us not to smile.

Once Mother was satisfied with the pictures, it was time to begin preparing supper. Grandma had a previously scheduled dinner engagement and had to leave. Judy, Mary, Susan, and I went to the stable to tend to the horses while the others went inside. When we were done, we too went inside the house, cleaned up, and changed into our second set of clothes. We joined the others in the downstairs kitchen, regaled in our finery. Dinner was almost ready so we took over so that the others could change their clothes. While they were gone, we set a large table in the dining room and lit several candles on the table. When Mother, Auntie, and the Clarks, returned from dressing, dinner was all ready. Talk during dinner centered on the clothing that we had all worn today. One by one we gave our assessment of it and our feelings about how it would have been to live 80 years ago. When each had had their say, the consensus was that we all appreciated living in the 1960's, and wouldn't trade our modern clothes for any price. But it had been fun playing dress-up for a day. We decided to end the special day a little early, and after cleaning the kitchen and changing clothes, we all watched a movie in the theatre. I can't tell you how wonderful it was to remove the layers of clothing and put on a simple, light cotton, summer dress. I felt that it would be a long time before we wore those costumes again, but we did keep them in our closet to remember the day.

Sunday was a fairly active day compared to the inactivity of Saturday. After returning from services we took an extended ride around the ranch. We had packed a full lunch and we found a shady place to eat when hunger got the better of us. Then we spent a couple of hours just lazing about in the shade before returning to the house. It was mid-afternoon when we arrived back at the house.

The cakes and cookies that we had made on Wednesday were almost gone, so we decided to do a little baking after we had cleaned up and changed. The twins helped again by doing much of the necessary stirring after we had assembled the ingredients. We made extra so that Mary and Judy could take some to work tomorrow, and of course we always made extra for Grandma's house. Once the ten pies and six cakes were baking we retreated to the front porch to join Mother, Auntie, and Dr. Clark who were enjoying a late afternoon breeze in the shade. Mary had made a large pitcher of iced tea to bring with us, and it didn't last very long. We spent the rest of the afternoon just rocking and relaxing, only taking time out to remove the pies and cakes from the oven and allowing the kitchen to cool down before we returned to assemble the cakes and apply the icings.

After dinner we completed the cakes and cleaned the downstairs kitchen before gathering in the theatre to enjoy a movie. We didn't have very much that would appeal to eight-year-olds, so Auntie put Peter Pan on again. I watched for a little while, but having just seen it several days earlier I decided to spend the time going over the information that Grandma had left, so I excused myself and went to the office, where I could concentrate. I had only been there 5 minutes before Susan joined me, and we spent the next hour poring over the documents and planning our inspection tour. In the documents I learned that much of the lumber produced at the mill was shipped to a paper producer nearby. I went to the library and found a book about paper manufacturing and returned to the office to read it while Susan continued to examine the information about the logging operation and prepare notes about the upcoming inspection. The book that I had found was informative, but not very technical, so I was able to complete it by the time that Mother came into the office to tell us that we should go to bed. Susan had long before finished her work on the documents and was reading through some of the logging trade publications that we had received. We tidied up the office before turning off the lights and heading upstairs.

"Why were you reading that book about paper manufacturing?" Susan asked.

"I was curious about the processes involved. We sell a lot of product to paper manufacturing plants around the US and in other countries, and the company that we are going to be evaluating sells a lot of their output to a local paper manufacturer. It was interesting to learn about the different paper grades and materials used. The book said that paper was developed in China about 105 AD, and was probably initially made from the bark of a mulberry tree. In school they always talked so much about the papyrus that was used in Egypt, that I thought that that was the origin of paper. According to the book, paper manufacturing didn't start in Egypt until about 900 AD, and paper had been introduced into Egypt about 800 AD. That's a hundred years before they started using papyrus to make their own. The current manufacturing techniques sound very interesting. I'd love to get a tour of a paper factory."

"Well, right now, I just want to tour our bed. I'm bushed."

"Yeah, me too."

We hurried through our nightly rituals and were asleep soon after getting into bed. I guess that the book had had an impact on me because I dreamed about wandering around in a paper manufacturing plant that night. The plant was entirely automated and I could not find a single person, but I was able to see all of the processes about which I had read. When I reached the end of the manufacturing line, I woke up, only to find myself still in my bed, with the first rays of the sun peering over the horizon.

Mary, Judy, and Auntie left right after breakfast to go to their respective jobs. Susan and I went to clean the stables, and the twins came along to help. Today was the last full day of the Clark's stay with us and our only plans were to have a ride this morning and enjoy a relaxing day. The twins were a little sad knowing that their time on the ranch was coming to an end, but we also knew that they would be happy to be home so that they could play with friends their own age and tell them all about their adventures.

After the stable was cleaned we saddled all of the horses and were joined by Mother and Dr. Clark. We had an enjoyable ride and stopped at our favorite watering hole for a brief rest before returning home. Once back at the ranch house, we wiped down the horses and turned them out into the coral. It was lunchtime when we had cleaned up and changed so we ate lunch and topped it off with a big slice from one of the cakes that we had just made. In early afternoon we took a ride over to Grandma's house to drop off a cake and a couple of the pies. Grandma and Charles were out so we left the treats with the cook and returned home.

Arriving back at the house, Dr. Clark said to me, "Darla, I'd like to give you an examination before I leave. Is now okay?"

"Sure, Dr. Clark. Where?"

"Come to my bedroom, dear."

Dr. Clark had brought her 'black bag' with her and ten minutes later we were fully into the examination. She wrote down information in a notebook as she measured me from head to foot, literally, and took other important information such as heart rate and blood pressure. When she was done, she told me to get dressed, and then I sat down to talk with her.

"Darla Anne, how do you feel?

"Great, Dr. Clark."

"Would you allow me to speak with David for a while, dear."

"I'm here, Dr. Clark, but I never use that name anymore."

Dr. Clark just stared at me for a minute. "That was an awfully fast transition, David. I thought that you had to visualize David coming back and Darla leaving."

"Not anymore. I've merged the roles. I'm basically just Darla, even though I remember my former life as David. I don't need to change roles because I think of myself as female. My body has changed enough that I feel perfectly comfortable in my role as a young woman. I know that I don't have a vagina or uterus, but I have real breasts, and the shape of a woman. I'm certainly not a male anymore even though I have one last reminder of that time."

"Have you had any problem with your 'reminder'?"

"No. I never even think about it except when there's a possibility that it might be seen or detected by someone other than my immediate family. I simply consider it a minor deformity that must always remain hidden until I'm old enough to have it restructured the way that you told me about. Until then, I'm just a girl that has to take extra care about having my body seen, even by other girls."

"I'm very happy for you, Darla. You've adjusted better than I hoped. I was a little worried about your role playing with two different personalities, but I can see that you have handled the problem well. From now on I shall never refer to 'David' again. And I just want to tell you how impressed I was on Saturday as I listened to you and your sisters discuss business with Mabel. I can see now why you have garnered all of the attention and publicity that has followed you during the past two years."

"It's been vastly overblown. I haven't done anything special. Grandma has been the driving force behind everything that has been attributed to me."

"That's what your mother told me, but there's more to it then that. You and your sisters have immersed yourselves in Mabel's businesses and it is obvious that you all have a firm grasp on the inner workings of each company. Listening to you talk yesterday I could easily imagine that you were all running the companies already."

"Already?"

"Yes. It's obvious that Mabel has great confidence in you. I believe that she has found the next generation of top level management for her companies. In fact she has already appointed one vice-president from your ranks. Mabel knows that eventually the time will come when she won't be able to continue to run all of her companies in the same hands-on way that she operates now. Since she doesn't have any children, it appears that she has found someone, or rather some-ones, to take up the reins when she is no longer as physically fit as she is now."

I was quiet as I thought about what Dr. Clark had just said. I had never really thought about Grandma not being able to run her companies with the level of control that she exercised right now. It made sense that she would have to rely, more and more, on others. But that is the way that it is in any large company. The president just sets the course and others handle the ship. What surprised me was the thought that my sisters and myself might have some part in determining the course. All that I could think of to say at this time was "Thank you Dr. Clark. Thank you for all of your help."

"You're most welcome, dear. And thank you for having us out here, and for your patience with the twins."

"No thanks necessary. I love them both, and I have enjoyed their being here with us, as we have enjoyed your coming out to visit with us."

"Thank you. As long as I have my things out, why don't you send Susan in. And tell your mother that she's next."

"Okay, Dr. Clark." I left the bedroom and told Susan that Dr. Clark wanted to see her, then I went to Mother's bedroom and told her that Dr. Clark wanted to see her as soon as she was done with Susan. The twins were playing a card game called 'Go Fish' in the kitchen, so I sat and played cards with them until Susan was done with her exam. When Susan came out of Dr. Clark's bedroom we decided to take a walk. We told Mother and Dr. Clark that we were all going so that they wouldn't worry, and we left. I took along a small bag of cookies and we stopped near the far end of the runway to munch on them before starting back.

Mother and Dr. Clark were in the kitchen preparing dinner when we got back. When Mother saw the bag that I carried, she commented that I shouldn't be eating cookies so close to mealtime. I told her that we had only had a few and that after our long walk we were hungry again anyway. Auntie arrived home as we were setting the table for dinner. She was all smiles as she informed us that she had received the funding from the bankers that she had sought. She could now move ahead with her drilling plans at several sites. We all congratulated her, and celebrated by heaping ice cream on top of the pie that we dished up for desert. As we enjoyed desert, we talked about Auntie's plans for expanding her business. Having several operations going at once would take a lot more time than she normally put in. She told us that we would not be able to depend on her being home by 6 o'clock anymore.

"I wish that I had someone to depend on," Auntie said, "like Mabel has with you girls."

"I'd be glad to help out in any way that I can, Auntie. That is, once Susan and I get back from our trip tomorrow."

"I don't want to take you away from your Grandma. She depends on you now."

"Once we get back we don't have any inspections scheduled for a couple of weeks. And Susan is able to handle them by herself now anyway. I would love to get a little experience by being around a drilling operation before I begin school in September. It might help with my studies if I have a little practical experience."

Auntie looked at me silently for a minute before saying, "Okay. If you're sure that it'll be okay with your grandma." 

"I'm sure that it will be, but I'll clear it with her when I see her. The drilling is being done on her land anyway, so it will all in the family."

After dinner we went to the theatre and watched a movie that Auntie had just received. She had ordered it when the twins had arrived, and it had just been delivered to her office today. We all sat and enjoyed the 16mm version of 'The Wizard of Oz'. It is a wonderful movie, and it was a wonderful ending to a great vacation for the Clarks. When the movie ended, the girls skipped up the stairs on their way to bed, singing "We're off to see the Wizard." Their mother trailed behind, a little too weary to skip up the stairs.

 

(continued in part 18)

 

 

 

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