#16
The rest of the clan got on with their soon to be usual morning routines, while Clora, Milo and Ricky had a little 'heart to heart'.
"Milo, you and Honey are level headed, responsible and loving parents. Why have both of your children started out acting like Honey's brother and sister? When you're called on your actions, you normally respond by straightening out the situtation; but I have to say that I am disappointed and confused as to why it has to come to that."
Clora called Milo and Honey out for lax discipline and the entitlement of their boys. "Robbie used to be as spoiled, and when Dad and I 'changed his behavior' he has become a wonderful young man to have as a grandchild." Clora patted Robbie on the back.
Clora bragged on Robbie and he preened behind his busy fork. Robbie knew that he might have been an idiot at one time, but he was smart enough to know which side his bread was buttered.
He had tried to impart this valuable gem of wisdom to Ricky, but Ricky was stubborn and stupid, and privately Robbie thought there might not be any cure for his brother. Robbie was almost, but not quite successful at hiding his smirky grin, and it made Ricky madder and madder.
Milo sat silently as Clora gently flailed his hide. "Yeah," he finally said. "I don't know why it takes an out side observer to call out the obvious for us to see. I was proud of Honey for 'seeing' exactly what her brother and sister had become, and for discarding Jillian and her tactics. Now, I find we have fallen into the same trap. Ricky," Milo told his youngest. "You are to apologize to your grandmother and then sit quietly at the table. I don't care if you are hungry or not," Milo sternly enforced, holding up his hand to stop Ricky's indignant howls. "You are wrong, and foolish to boot."
While Ricky Linderman's 're-education' was taking place, Mark was down with Toby and Seamus dividing up the seeds and discussing Punky and Max.
"My Phebes, she's a-wanting the boys, boot is afraid Miz Clora vood be mad." Seamus was dividing seed potatoes into family piles.
"I believe Clora is willing," Mark looked at Toby for more expertise. "If it is done, it would have to be legal with papers; and there is no going back. Clora has had far too much heartache with children coming and going. She want's the children's happiness and family stability held together in love, more than she wants to be a parent."
Toby nodded, "that is a fairly simple exchange to do. Normally there would have to be a home study and a lot of other unnecessary legal fol de rol done; but we are all acutely aware of the type of home Seamus and Phoebe can provide. There should be papers drawn up for Calvin also; we don't want a stranger coming in and disrupting the balance we have achieved in these children's lives. I realize these are different times, but children grow better when their not worried about their future." Toby was scooping out corn seed into the different family piles, as he spoke.
"Have either of you," Mark asked, "been out and around to see if there is another small place that might be suitable for Donny to homestead. The boys are making long range plans into the future. and I am proud and confident in their abilities to claim a place."
Seamus shook his head no. "Haven't been out and around much, Phebes has me cleaning a place in town to use as a house. I'm afraid I'm not a farmer; I'm an engineer and I make things, that's about the extent of me talents."
"Well that and the bagpipes," Toby laughed. "But seriously Seamus, how are you going to feed that many children if you don't have a garden?"
"Probably garden at Andy's place, he and Donny talked to me this morning about sooch a deal. Those two boys are going to be dandy laddies here soon. Good level headed thinkers, they be." Seamus praised.
"Your red headed brother is getting an enforced education about becoming a level headed parent," Mark grinned as he tattled on Milo. "He was squirming in his chair when I left. Ricky told Clora no this morning that he wouldn't wash his hands and she took his plate off the table."
The thought of what that would cause, had all three men shivering in their shoes. Toby gave a small whistle of amazement. "Not me," he said quickly, "even at my age, I don't sass Ma. I know better than that, by painful experience."
The three men were thankful it wasn't them that had crossed Clora, she had an awesome reputation, justly earned and deserved.
Toby scratched his ear and swatted away a fly buzzing around the pile of corn seed. "There is a place," he started to say, "back behind Milo's far field. But it's got a house on it big enough to be a orphanage. There's a good barn and outbuildings, fairly decent fields and fences; awful big house for a young kid however. Maybe he'll grow up and marry a woman with ten kids." There was general good natured laughter at the thought, no one at the time understanding how prophetic the words were to be.
It was late afternoon before Andy and Donny finished the plowing at Milo's place. The tall redheaded man and his boys were back home, wandering the fields with the turned over ridges of fresh brown dirt.
"Hey Dad, lookit what I found," Robbie called out, picking something up from the dirt. The small, sharp, translucent pink and white colored arrowhead was tiny, even in the boy's open palm.
"It's for shooting birds," Milo exclaimed, "good find Robbie, sharp eyes."
"I want one," Ricky demanded, holding his hand out for Robbie's prize. Robbie looked at Milo, clearly unwilling to give such a magnificent find to his brother, but waiting for Milo's decision.
"Not this," Milo told his youngest. "If you want to find such a wonderful thing, get busy and look for one."
"I don't want another one, I want that one."
"No, that one is Robbie's. You may look at it in Robbie's hand, but it is not for touching. That arrowhead is Robbie's, not yours, do you understand?"
Ricky walked close to inspect the arrowhead, halfway turned and brought his hand up sharply and knocked the stone from Robbie's hand. It went sailing in an arc, and both boys scrambled to reach the arrowhead before the other.
"I found it," Ricky crowed, "now it's mine." and as his hand went to close around the prize, Robbie was there first. Ricky started screaming in rage, Robbie stuck the stone in his pocket and turned around and used his fist and socked his younger brother in the jaw.
Ricky turned astonished eyes at his brother and Dad. "He hit me," Ricky was crying for real, as he got up from the dirt.
"It's mine, you are not to touch the arrowhead," Robbie reinforced. "You have broken every other thing I have of value, but not this. I will hit you again, if you don't believe me."
It was news to Milo that Ricky had been careless with Robbie's things, breaking the older brothers treasures. Milo had a flash back to the small car toys he had as a young boy and how precious they had been to him.
"Ricky," he said sternly, "stay out of Robbie's things. I will spank you in a way you won't forget, if you misbehave."
Ricky was checking out both Milo and Robbie, and then nodded his head. "Ok," he said between big sobs of put on innocence. "I won't touch it."